


The Only Thing That Keeps Me Grounded

by lululawrence



Category: BBC Radio 1 RPF, One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, American AU, Businessman Louis, Coming Out, Confusion, Cuddling & Snuggling, DJ Nick Grimshaw, Drinking, Flirting, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Messy Musketeers, Multi, Nanny Harry, Nick and Louis are Married, No Smut, Partying, Pining, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, References to Smut, Self-Discovery, Sexuality Crisis, Swing Dancing, To An Extent, Washington D.C., but not a lot, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-23
Updated: 2019-09-23
Packaged: 2020-10-17 19:49:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 27,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20626586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lululawrence/pseuds/lululawrence
Summary: “Shit, I definitely missed the last train.”“Oh no,” Louis lamented. “I’d offer a ride, but I’m part of a carpool and we’re full already. I’m so sorry.”“Really, it’s fine.” Then, what Louis said sank in. “Wait, I thought you were here alone?”“Oh, I am. I’m the only one dancing here tonight. The others were working. In fact, here’s Nick now.”It felt like slow motion as a tall, lanky man with incredible hair came walking over towards Louis. He smiled before pulling Louis into him and giving him a quick kiss.“Nick, this is my new friend Harry. He just moved to the area and he’s amazing at swing. Harry, this is my husband, Nick.”Fuck.Or the one where Harry moves to Washington DC to be a nanny and never expects that his past struggles with love will be brought to a head. He definitely never expects the solution to it all will be the man of his dreams that just so happens to be married to theotherman of his dreams.





	The Only Thing That Keeps Me Grounded

**Author's Note:**

> Helloooooo! Thank you for reading my darling poly fic! I've loved Stylinshaw for awhile now, and always want more, but I wasn't sure I was ready to write one. It felt like such a big endeavor, but when [Nic](https://louandhazaf.tumblr.com) decided to do this fest, I knew I had to participate. The basis of the fic is very much on real life in several ways. Harry's situation as a nanny is based on my own experiences nannying in the Washington DC area, as are his swing dancing experiences. One of my favorite memories of living in the city was the opportunity to dance in the open air beside the Kennedy Center. The other inspiration from the fic comes from a good friend of mine who has recently come out on her Facebook page regarding the fact that she and her husband have three other partners in their relationship. Her beautiful documentation of their family and life as well as the struggles they face gave me such a perfect picture that I knew I wanted to try to emulate the beginnings of. Thank you to her, despite the fact she has no idea that I was so touched by everything she shared. I hope that I've done her adjusted story justice! Please note, though, that this is still fiction and only my attempt to share what one person's experience with polyamory might be like.
> 
> I also have massive thanks to give to all of my cheerleaders as well as my incredible betas, [Bri](https://briannamarguerite.tumblr.com) and [Nicola](https://missytearex.tumblr.com), and my darling wishing to be anonymous poly pick. You are all magnificent and I'm so thankful for your help and the confidence you've given me as you helped me with my fic! All remaining mistakes are my own.
> 
> The title comes from the song by Sam Fender called That Sound, cause I adore him always and forever. This is a work of fiction, I have no association with any real life people depicted in this story, please don't share it with anyone associated with those in the story, etc etc etc. I also do not allow translations and repostings without my express permission.
> 
> Thank you, and I hope you enjoy this fic as much as I truly adored writing it!

Harry was glad he’d thought ahead enough to not bring a bag with him. For whatever reason, it hadn’t quite sunk in that they would be dancing outside on top of the garage by the Kennedy Center where he wouldn’t have anyone to watch his personal things while he danced. It was pure luck everything he had on him fit in his pockets.

Harry quickly paid his fee and tentatively walked towards the back of the group that had already started the lesson. He hadn’t realized how sporadically the metro ran on weekends, and his timing had been thrown a bit. Luckily he didn’t seem to be too late, though.

He’d been late for his first lesson at Glen Echo Park last week. He’d stumbled upon it by happenstance while he was there taking photos and had been so pleased to learn there was a thriving swing dancing community here. It had been something he’d thoroughly enjoyed in college but hadn’t even thought to look for swing dancing options in Washington, D.C. 

He’d moved here almost three weeks ago now and was only just starting to learn his surroundings. He’d been busy settling into the house and learning the ins and outs of the family he was going to be nannying for over the course of the next year. It had been more important to him in that time to settle in there, but now it was time for him to find a place for himself in this incredible city.

Harry thought he’d found that last week at Glen Echo. They had weekly swing dancing every Saturday night, and he’d been planning to come back every opportunity he could when an announcement had been made. There wouldn’t be any dancing there the following weekend because the band was going to be performing for the swing dancing event at the Kennedy Center.

He had been disappointed at first, but as he said goodbye to his new friends and made his way back to his car, the idea of dancing beside the Kennedy Center, on top of the underground garage and right beside the river, started to grow on him.

Looking behind the crowd, he took in the gorgeous building. There was something intimidating about standing beside  _ the _ Kennedy Center - a place that honored the arts and so many of his favorite performers - knowing he was about to dance and hopefully not put the memories of those other dancers to shame.

Unsure what to do with himself since the lesson started and everyone looked to already have a partner, Harry glanced around to see if he had missed anyone who was also alone.

“Hey, you come with anyone?”

Harry startled at the sound of the soft voice and turned quickly to his right. Standing in front of him was possibly the most beautiful man he’d ever set eyes on. He was just a little bit shorter than Harry and was wearing gorgeous dress pants that framed his curvy stature perfectly. He was in a white dress shirt as well, with the sleeves rolled up showing the hints of tattoos. If Harry weren’t squinting in the sunlight he’d be leaning in further to get a closer look. Overall, it was something out of Harry’s wet dreams, if he was honest. He had no idea when his daydreams of a hot, young professional with a bit of scruff and piercing blue eyes had started being his dream man, but either way this guy was everything Harry was weak for.

And the man had asked him a question. Shit, what had he asked?

Looking back up at the man’s face, Harry saw him smirking with his eyebrows raised, still waiting patiently for an answer. Harry wracked his brain and finally remembered he’d asked if Harry was there alone.

“Sorry,” Harry said, wincing. “Yeah, came by myself. That obvious, huh?”

The man laughed quietly, looking at the rest of the group and shrugged. “Just a little. I’m Louis and I’m basically here on my own as well. Mind being paired with another man?”

Harry didn’t understand what  _ basically _ meant, but he was more than willing to dance with him. “I’m Harry. Nice to meet you. And yeah, that would be great.”

The two stood side by side and tried to make their way up closer to the group so they could work out what was being taught. The way the others were standing in hold looked to Harry like a Charleston, but he couldn’t be sure since he hadn’t really been paying attention.

“Would you like to lead, or would you rather follow?”

Harry turned and smiled at Louis. “I’m up for the challenge of following, if it’s alright with you.”

Louis smiled widely and Harry’s breath caught at how sharp and yet soft his smile was at the same time. The wind also shifted, and Harry got a whiff of the most delicious smell. Was it possible that the combination of Louis’ cologne and just the slightest tang of sweat was even more delicious than how he looked? 

“I’m up for it.”

The two of them got into hold and easily caught up to where everyone else was. 

“You’ve done this before,” Louis said, chuckling. “Is that why you offered to follow?”

“I love swing dancing, but I’ve never gotten the chance to follow. Figured why not, yeah?” Harry squinted and looked into Louis’ eyes. He’d gotten distracted by what was definitely a hint of silver in the man’s hair. “You’re no beginner yourself, though. What’s your story?”

Louis waggled his eyebrows. “Ah, well, you see. I first fell in love with big band swing dancing when it had its resurgence in the nineties. I begged my mom for lessons, and I’ve made sure to continue dancing as much as I could ever since.” Looking Harry up and down in such a way that Harry couldn’t help but blush, Louis narrowed his eyes and said, “You, however, seem a bit too young to have had that kind of influence. What lead to you finding you love it?”

Harry happily talked about his discovery of dance during his first few years of college as the lesson continued. The moves were basic enough, the two of them barely had to watch what was going on to figure out what they were meant to do, and they easily continued their conversation as they went along.

The lesson eased its way into open dancing, and Louis never once let go of Harry. They were both sweaty and out of breath as they watched the sunset as a backdrop to their dancing. Harry had never felt such an instant connection with someone before. It seemed that Louis felt the same. Both of them were probably being ridiculous with the amount of flirting they were doing, but their laughter and smiles fuelled their ridiculous moves as they took turns leading and following through a variety of dances. 

Harry had no idea so much time had passed until the band announced the last song. Only then did Harry think to check his watch and saw it was nearly two in the morning.

“Shit, I definitely missed the last train.”

“Oh no,” Louis lamented as he lead Harry to the side of the dance floor. “I didn’t realize you were relying on the metro to get home. Will you be alright?”

Sighing, Harry said, “Yeah, it’ll be fine. I’ll just grab a cab.” It would be pricey, but a lot easier than working out the buses.

“I’d offer a ride, but I’m part of a carpool and we’re full already. I’m so sorry.”

Harry shook his head. “Really, it’s fine.” Then, what Louis said sank in. “Wait, I thought you were here alone?”

“Oh, I am. Kind of. I’m the only one dancing here tonight. The other four were working an event. In fact, here’s Nick now.” Louis rose onto his tip-toes and waved cheerfully. “Nick! Hey!”

Harry watched and felt like it was in slow motion as a tall, lanky man with incredible hair came walking over towards Louis. He smiled before pulling Louis into him and giving him a quick kiss.

Heart dropping to his stomach, Harry felt like he might hurl. Oh God, had he been lusting after an older, obviously professional man who was already taken?

“Nick, this is my new friend Harry. He just moved to the area and he’s amazing at swing. Harry, this is my husband, Nick.”

Fuck. Husband? Shit, he hadn’t expected that. Louis hadn’t said or behaved in any way that made Harry think he was  _ married. _ Was he even wearing a ring? That was usually one of the first things Harry checked for, but for some reason it had left his mind entirely tonight.

“Hey, Harry. My friends call me Grimmy.” Nick - or  _ Grimmy,  _ Harry supposed - held his hand out and Harry shook it. 

“Hey, nice to meet you.” 

God, Harry felt like a massive idiot. Here he was, thinking how amazing it was for him to come out here and meet the man of his dreams, only to learn that  _ of course _ a man as perfect as Louis was already taken. Nick was a lucky man. And honestly, from the looks of it, Louis was just as lucky. They were by far the most attractive couple Harry had ever seen. 

“He and I danced the entire time, Nick. If you don’t mind, we’ll have to do this again sometime, Harry. I rarely find my match and I miss dancing regularly since this oaf refuses.”

Harry laughed, hoping it didn’t sound too strained, before he weakly thumbed over his shoulder and started backing away. “Well, I’ve gotta go find a cab, so I should go.”

“Oh, hey. Why don’t you ride with us?” Grimmy suggested. “Where do you live?”

Louis’ head snapped to Grimmy and he asked, “What about Zayn and Liam?”

“Niall got sick, so they took him home early and decided to stay in the rest of the night. Said the trip back into the city on a Saturday and all that wasn’t worth it.” Turning his attention back to Harry, Grimmy repeated his previous question. “What part of the city are you in?”

“Oh, it’s uh, Potomac?”

“Oh, perfect!” Grimmy said happily, smiling at Louis as he squeezed his shoulders. “We’re just in McLean, so we aren’t too far from you. It really isn’t a bother.”

Harry looked at Louis to make sure he was also okay with this offer, and saw him smiling as he waited for Harry’s answer. He really didn’t want to waste the money on an expensive cab ride, so even though he could tell that the ride with these two gorgeous husbands would likely be awkward for him, Harry really felt he should accept.

“That would be great, actually. Thank you so much.”

Nick nodded towards the street and the three of them started walking.

“So, Harry,” Louis asked as they walked, “how long have you lived here?”

Scrunching up his nose and scratching the back of his neck, Harry chuckled self deprecatingly. “Uhhh, like three weeks?”

“Oh shit,” Louis cursed, eyes wide and turning towards Harry in the dark. “That’s all? You’re really new, then! I had no idea and we danced for hours. What brings you here?”

“Oh, well, I’m a nanny for the year.”

“Ahhh yes, I forgot it was around the time for the new nannies and au pairs to be descending on the city,” Grimmy said, dramatically.

Harry laughed. He was already feeling more at ease. Maybe the drive wouldn’t be as awkward as he’d feared. “Yeah, basically. Did you know there’s even, like, a social network for other nannies depending on the area you work in? I’m still not sure who exactly set it all up, but I tried going to one and it was the most awkward situation I’ve ever been in. I’m never going back to one of their events.”

“God, I can imagine,” Louis said, laughing. “My sister was a nanny here for a little bit, just as an emergency temp until a friend of mine could get someone more permanent, and she was constantly complaining about the other nannies she would have to meet up with for the kids’ play dates.”

“Oh my God, I forgot about that,” Grimmy cried. “Remember that German nanny she gave a ride to a party to? How he refused to listen to anything but rap despite the fact it was her own car and he was constantly ranting about how his family gave him no freedom?”

Grimmy and Louis started laughing and talking back and forth about this apparent crazy night as Harry just watched. He was glad he had met them, but the longer he watched the two of them together, the more apparent it was how perfect they were. He still didn’t know what either of them did, but it was his understanding that McLean and Great Falls were just as well to do as Potomac was. If they lived there, both of them must be making a good amount of money. They certainly dressed like it.

“Here we are,” Grimmy announced as he pressed the key fob and the lights on a sleek, black Audi flashed.

“Oh shit,” Harry said, pausing beside it. It was a beautiful sports car that was obviously expensive. He wasn’t sure he really even had the right to look at it, much less touch it or climb in.

“Yeah,” Louis drew out, coming up behind Harry and patting him on the shoulder. “Nick’s ridiculous about his car, but I promise he’s a safe driver. Far better than me, at any rate. Climb on in.”

Harry eased himself into the back seat and couldn’t help gently stroking the soft leather. It even  _ smelled _ fancy.

They quickly headed off to the GW Parkway and the conversation continued easily the entire drive. Harry thought he’d somehow escaped Louis getting his number, but just as Grimmy pulled up in front of the house Harry was living in, Louis turned around and handed Harry his phone.

“For real, please give me your number.” Louis raised an eyebrow. “I’d love to go dancing with you again and we’d be more than happy to introduce you to some of our friends since we’re nearby and they’re  _ far _ better than the crazy nanny group you’ve already met.”

Harry laughed softly and had to agree. He still wasn’t sure he believed that Louis would actually reach out to him, but he could use the friends. 

Finally relenting, Harry typed in his number and saved it before handing the phone back to Louis. 

“Great, I’m calling you now so you have my number as well.” 

Harry’s phone vibrated for a half second before stopping. He quickly saved the number under Louis’ name and then shoved it back in his pocket.

“Thanks again for the ride. I really do appreciate it.”

“Great meeting you, Harry!” Grimmy yelled and Louis waved out the window. 

As he walked up to the house, Grimmy and Louis waited to pull away until he was back inside. The entire house was dark, and Harry listened to make sure he hadn’t made too much noise and woken someone up. Thankfully he hadn’t, so he eased his way over to the basement stairs and headed down to his room.

As he went to bed that night, as hard as he tried not to, he couldn’t help but linger on the images of Louis and Grimmy both that were scrolling through his brain until he fell asleep.

*~~***~~*

“Come on, Bri. We’ve got to get you two to piano in the next fifteen minutes or your parents will still be charged even though we were so late they won’t let us have the lesson!”

Bri dragged her feet every time it came to lessons, and Harry could not for the life of him understand why. She  _ loved _ playing the piano and would practice religiously every day. Yet when the time came to go, she would whine and cry and put up the biggest fuss. The lesson always turned out perfectly, too. She got gold stars and came out smiling every time. He could not figure out what the issue was.

Emily stomped her foot and put her hands on her hips, which was difficult considering the large bag filled with her own piano books hanging off her shoulder. “Come  _ on, _ Bri! I’m tired of being late for lessons every week!”

Bri finally emerged, a glower in place as her flushed, pink cheeks and wild hair also showed her disapproval. “Fine!” she yelled as she continued stomping towards the garage. “But I’m  _ not _ happy about it! I hate both of you!”

Week three, and Bri already told him she hated him. Perfect. One down, one to go.

Harry ushered Emily to the garage as well and was making sure they were both buckled when his phone vibrated in the cup holder where he’d tossed it. Glancing at the time, Harry barely had time to breathe if they wanted to make it on time to their lessons, so whoever it was would just have to wait.

Harry turned on the Hilary Duff CD Emily was currently obsessed with before pulling out of the garage.

“Ugh. Why do we get to listen to  _ Emily’s _ music and not mine?” Bri whined. 

“Because,” Harry calmly explained as he eased the SUV onto the road, “Emily is making good choices and you haven’t been, so her music gets to be played. When you start making good choices, we can listen to your music.”

“What if there’s a day that both Emily and I make bad choices?” Bri asked, huffing and folding her arms. “What happens then?”

“Or what about a day where we’re both making  _ good _ choices?” Emily countered.

Harry laughed. “I can only hope the issue will come up with Emily’s scenario more than Bri’s. But if you’re both making bad choices we’ll listen to  _ my _ music. If you’re both making good choices, then we’ll work something out then. Okay?”

Both the girls agreed and were blessedly quiet as  _ Metamorphosis _ played on in the background.

Soon enough, they were pulled up in front of their piano lessons and both of the girls raced out of the car and into the house. He locked the car and walked up, hoping they remembered to remove their shoes and sit quietly until they were called in. When he walked in, he saw they were behaving just like the angels they could be but rarely were.

Rolling his eyes and patting their heads fondly, Harry sat down in the chair he would be in for the next hour and unlocked his phone to finally see who had texted him earlier.

It was Louis. He’d known it was a possibility, but he’d convinced himself since he had woken up on Sunday morning that it wouldn’t happen and he’d just have to dream of the beautiful couple for the rest of time.

_ Louis: Hey, Harry! This Friday night we’re finally having Nick’s birthday party and we wanted to invite you _

As Harry tried to figure out whether this was something he was actually interested in or not, he scrunched up his nose and sent a text back.

_ Harry: Why do you say “finally” ??? _

Louis answered almost immediately, so he made sure Bri was happily in the piano room with Emily reading by his side before he read it.

_ Louis: Cause his birthday was back in August. We went to Barbados to celebrate since it was the big 3-5, but it wouldn’t be Nick’s birthday without a massive party as well, so we’re just holding it a bit late this year. I’ll send you our address if you wanna join, it’ll start around 8 and go until we all get tired or the neighbors complain about the noise _

_ Louis: (I’m mostly kidding about the noise. We’ve already warned them it’s happening and they were all fine with it, especially once I bribed them with baked goods hah!) _

Harry shook his head. Did he really want to do that? He’d finally exchanged numbers with Louis because he had decided he needed to make friends somehow and this was the perfect opportunity, but he couldn’t help how attracted he really did feel towards Louis. And Grimmy. And they were married to eachother, for fuck’s sake. Could he handle that?

Rolling his eyes at himself, Harry started typing. Of course he could handle that. He wasn’t a child, he was an adult and he had complete control of his feelings and actions. He was more than capable of being friends with people he was attracted to.

_ Harry: That sounds like great fun. I’ve gotta work until at least 8:30 since my boss has an event that night, but I’ll come as soon as they get home. They promised it wouldn’t be too late. _

Louis sent back a thumbs up emoji, and Harry stuck his phone back into his pocket, and that was when it hit him.

These guys were obviously loaded and lived in a nice neighborhood. Harry had to dress for a party there. And what was he supposed to do for a present?

Shaking his head and turning to Emily when she tapped his shoulder for help with a word in her book, Harry promised himself he’d figure that out later. He needed to focus on the girls’ lessons and dinner for tonight first.

*~~***~~*

Harry pulled up in front of what he could only imagine would be described as a mansion. He tried not to use that word lightly considering the houses he’d seen just since moving here, but the house was  _ massive. _ It even had  _ pillars. _ He knew he was in Virginia, home of the confederacy and plantations and all of that, but this house couldn’t be that old and yet there it was. Standing there all pretentious with  _ pillars. _

Harry added his car to the quadruple parked driveway loop and locked up. Since he was over an hour late for the start of the party he wasn’t sure what to expect by way of greetings at the door, but he hoped that either Grimmy or Louis would be the one to let him in.

Taking a deep breath and steeling himself for whatever this night would turn into, Harry walked up to the door and figured ringing the doorbell would be the safest bet. He rang the bell and prepared to wait.

He didn’t need to.

“Harryyyyy!” 

As soon as Grimmy yelled his name, Harry was pulled into a massive, warm hug. 

“I’m so very happy you came! It’s my party at my house and now it’s time for me to take care of you. Okay?”

Harry laughed as the taller man wrapped his arm around his waist and started showing him around.

“Oh, first label your keys with your name and car type/color then drop them in the bowl. That way if anyone needs out we can find a way to move it even if you’re otherwise incapacitated.”

Impressed with how well he was speaking despite being obviously well into his drinks for the night, Harry nodded and did as instructed. It actually seemed to be a pretty good system, considering. They must host parties often enough to have learned from past mistakes.

“Great, boring stuff is over,” Grimmy said pulling Harry back into his side and draping his arm over Harry’s shoulders. “I think Lou’s dancing cause it’s Zayn’s time at the turntables. Annie’s about to come on, though! Lemme introduce you to some people as we go to Lou and Zayn.”

It was only when Grimmy said Zayn’s name in conjunction with turntable that Harry started putting two and two together.

“Wait, the Zayn and Liam you were talking about last weekend wasn’t Zayn Malik and Liam Payne, was it?”

Grimmy started giggling and tucked his face into Harry’s neck. “Of course it was! How many Zayns do you know?”

“I dunno,” Harry said, hands flying up. “I don’t really just expect people name dropped to be someone I’ve heard of.”

“Oh, darling,” Grimmy said, patting Harry’s cheek. “Just wait. Now, come to the kitchen. I want you to meet some of my favorite people in the whole world.”

Grimmy dragged Harry from group to group and introduced him to everyone, even Grimmy’s mother who was dancing on the floor with an entire bottle of champagne she occasionally took a swig from.

Leading up to the party, Harry had been worried that he wouldn’t fit in with their friends since Grimmy and Louis were so obviously outside of his own realm of social circles usually, but that wasn’t the case at all. In fact, one of the people that Harry ran into when he was wandering the halls looking for the bathroom was Niall, one of the guys Harry saw swing dancing at Glen Echo a couple of weeks ago.

Harry easily started chatting with people and it didn’t matter that most of them were consultants for various government agencies and he was a nanny. None of them cared. They all just legitimately loved Grimmy and Louis and enjoyed a party and therefore were more than happy to have a fun conversation with Harry before taking shots together.

When Harry eventually made it back to the dance floor, Louis was hanging all over Zayn and no one was paying them any mind. Looking up to the little stage area that was obviously where the DJing happened, Harry saw a woman with wild red curls looking serious as she pushed buttons and transitioned to another song. 

“Harold!” 

Harry could barely focus on the gorgeous, sweaty man who had just launched himself into Harry’s arms, he was too focused on the person he was fairly sure Grimmy had called Annie controlling the music.

“Hey, Louis. Is that Annie  _ Mac??”  _

Louis laughed and pulled back from his hug with Harry enough to look over his shoulder. “Yeah, she and Nick have been friends since before Nick and I even met. They go way back. I’m glad you made it! Have you seen Nick yet?”

“Oh, yeah,” Harry said, smiling and finally getting past the fact that one of his favorite DJs just happened to be working a set at a private party he’d been invited to. In fact, there was a rather large set of music professionals mixed with government workers here tonight, and Harry would have to investigate that later. 

For now, he had to deal with the fact that Louis was wearing a tight scoop-neck shirt that he was pretty certain was at least partially sheer because he could just make out some tattoos splayed across his chest.

Pulling himself back from Louis’ chest, he tried to remember the conversation and keep talking. “Yeah, he let me in then introduced me to pretty much everyone, even his mom.”

“Oh, yeah. Eileen’s a party animal! We sure love her.” Louis’ smile was so soft and fond that Harry got a little pang in his chest. These two incredible men definitely are perfect together. Harry was still a little jealous - who wouldn’t be? - but he couldn’t begrudge them for working together so well.

“Hey, what does Grimmy do for work?” Harry asked as the song went to a slow one and Louis pulled him in for a slow dance. He was mostly swaying and occasionally twirling Harry clumsily. He obviously didn’t keep his dance skills when he’d had a lot to drink, but Harry couldn’t find it in himself to complain.

“Oh, he’s a DJ,” Louis said nonchalantly as he pulled Harry in close. He was having a bit of a hard time keeping his head on straight as Louis leaned into him despite the fact he was literally talking about his husband at the same time. “He does all sorts of events around town as well as a couple of weekly shows at local stations here. He could be so much bigger than he is, but he didn’t want all the travel associated since I’m permanently here and couldn’t go with him most of the time, but there is more than enough work for him around here anyway.”

“That’s really incredible,” Harry said, pulling back. “He must love you a lot.”

Louis shrugged and started doing western swing dance moves at a ridiculously slow pace to match the beat of the song. Harry went with it as Louis did his best to shout loud enough to be heard. “He better. He knows if he doesn’t treat me right, I’m not waiting around long.”

“Already tonight I’ve seen at least four or five people trying to sneak into your pants, and it’s my own party!” Grimmy yelled, joining the two of them. 

Louis easily opened up and started leading both Grimmy and Harry, and Harry wasn’t sure he had ever seen someone handle two partners with such ease. It was impressive and, if he was being honest with himself, a little hot.

“It’s not that kind of party tonight, love. No one was trying anything,” Louis said with a wink. Before Harry could think about that too much, the song changed and Nick started crowing and jumping up and down.

“Oh my God, she’s done it! She’s done it! She fucking hates it, but she’s playing my song anyway!”

Harry was so busy laughing and trying to help keep Grimmy from jumping into any number of other people surrounding them that he couldn’t even hear the song at first. Soon enough, Harry was able to catch the lyrics  _ I’m gonna ride ‘til I can’t no more… _

“Does he actually love this song?” Harry asked Louis, laughing. “I’m not sure he does. I’m getting mixed signals here.”

Louis nodded solemnly and then said, “He does, actually. And I do too. Better go get our country on!”

Harry laughed as the two of them started bouncing and dancing like ridiculous cowboys with their other friends on the dance floor.

Figuring now was as good a time as ever to get a breath of fresh air, Harry made his way to the porch and threw himself into a lawn chair.

“Hey, Harry, right?”

Harry startled and turned to his left, seeing someone in a lawn chair in the corner where the light didn’t quite reach. He squinted and leaned forward, finally seeing Liam fucking Payne.

“Oh my God, I’m talking to Liam Payne.”

Liam’s eyes squinted as he laughed just like Harry had seen them do in his music videos for years. He could hardly believe he was witnessing that in person.

“Yeah, but you can just call me Liam, if you’d like.”

“Yeah, alright,” Harry said, barely breathing still. “I didn’t realize you were, like, in the area.”

“Oh yeah. It’s kind of home base for me and Zayn. We grew up here, met here, got married here. It just didn’t feel right to relocate permanently to LA when we have so much history in the area.”

Harry nodded as if he knew anything about that. He had history in Michigan, but nothing significant that made him feel like he didn’t want to leave it permanently. If anything, he was using his time in Washington DC to figure out if maybe he’d like getting his masters from a university here and checking out the surrounding areas. He knew it was an expensive place to live and he would be hard pressed to get employment opportunities here, but he’d always loved the city when he visited. He figured it was worth a try if he decided he enjoyed living here too.

“Lou said you met last weekend dancing and Nick was already calling you his new best friend,” Liam said with a smile. “You must be pretty great if they’ve already adopted you. They don’t usually let new people in that easily.”

All the drinks Harry had had earlier were just starting to sink in. Either that, or everything Liam was saying was more than he could handle. 

“Really?” Harry finally said, not able to get past the last part of what Liam had said. “They both seem so friendly and open.”

Liam blew some smoke out, and when had Harry missed him lighting up? He didn’t think Liam had been smoking when he walked out here. Harry really needed to work on his observation skills.

“Nah, they used to, but ya know. Things happen. They’ve closed themselves off a lot this past year or two. You’re the first new person they’ve invited into their friend group in awhile.”

Harry studied Liam’s face, but he was still in the shadows and Harry was starting to regret the fruity drinks that never hit him right off. He’d had three in a row rather quickly earlier and he wasn’t sure he was going to be able to make it home tonight at this rate.

“Harold, we wondered where you went off to. We’re about to do the cake!” Louis came walking onto the patio and he dropped himself onto Harry’s lap, looking up at him happily. It was doing nothing to ease Harry’s confusion. 

Liam chuckled in the corner, causing Louis to lean backwards until he was basically laying on top of Harry, and Harry was at a loss as to what he was meant to do. Put his hands on Louis’ hips to help center his balance? Not touch him at all? What would Grimmy think if he came outside and saw his husband on top of Harry like this? 

“Oh, lima bean!” Louis cried, pulling Harry out of his inner dialogue. “You should come in too! We’ve got these tall sparkler candles that are likely going to set the place on fire, but it was what Nicholas wanted, so it’s what he gets.”

“He always does,” Liam said as he tossed his cigarette down and stepped on it. Picking it back up and sticking it into an empty flower pot, Liam stood up and helped Louis off of Harry, thus ending his freak out. God bless Liam Payne. “Come on, he’s not a patient man and he might have already done it without us.”

“God, you’re right. He’s an impatient fucker and I’ll kill him if he didn’t even let me get pictures!” Louis ran back inside, Liam following close behind. 

Harry took a deep breath, then walked back inside. The cake had looked amazing when Grimmy had shown it to him earlier, and Harry would hate missing out on that. He’d wanted to give himself more of a chance to get over the way Louis and Grimmy have no issues with personal space, but he could do that later. 

The look on Louis’ face as he filmed Grimmy trying to blow out the sparklers set on top of his cake proclaiming him to have “finally” reached the age of thirty-five was almost more than Harry could handle. 

They were attractive men. They seemed to arouse Harry without even trying to, simply by being themselves and friendly. He would just have to get over it and move on from his silly little crush. Maybe the more he hung out with them he’d get more accustomed to them and meet someone else who would distract him from the beautiful couple. That was all Harry could ask for, really.

*~~***~~*

Harry ended up staying the night at Grimmy and Louis’ along with around half of their guests, and after that it was like a dam had broken. It was rare that Harry had a weekend that wasn’t filled with Louis or Grimmy and their friends, but as September came and left, it was obvious the slower pace that always came with summer had gone. Most of their friends were in the throes of the busy fall season for work and while Louis and Grimmy were also busy, they still made a concerted effort to spend time with Harry.

This meant that the three of them hung out without anyone else most of the time. At first, Harry had worried he’d feel like a third wheel, but somehow he never did. It felt just as comfortable as hanging out with any of his close friends from high school or college despite the fact they’d only known each other for almost two months at this point.

The worst part for Harry was that he got to see Nick - spending so much time with just the two of them had Harry adopting Louis’ habit of calling him by his first name and not the nickname he’d introduced himself by when they’d first met - and Louis in all of their moods and all of their fashion whims. That in and of itself wasn’t a bad thing, it was yet another sign of their friendship growing deeper.

The issue was that they were so damn beautiful in every form they presented themselves. Harry was once even there when Grimmy was coming down from an allergic reaction to some mushrooms they’d never tried before, and that  _ still _ didn’t make Nick less attractive to him. He was there with a swollen, red face and Harry knew that if he’d been single he would have been vying for the chance to take care of him.

He was doing the best he could to push aside those feelings, and he felt he was doing a pretty good job overall. The only times he really failed was when he was having a little bit of self-indulgent time alone. Harry had always had a few favorites in his fairly varied mental wank bank. He felt everyone had those fantasies that seemed to crop up whenever they would pleasure themselves, and he was no different. 

Those fantasies over the past two months had slowly morphed, though. Sometimes they involved Louis. Sometimes they involved Nick. He’d felt slightly guilty getting off to the two men who had slowly become his best friends, but he told himself over and over as long as he didn’t act on anything, a fantasy was just that and he was happy leaving it that way. Nothing wrong with that.

About early October, something new happened, though. Harry had splurged and gotten himself a new vibrating dildo and was excited to try it. He had started as he’d gotten used to doing these days, imagining himself splayed on a king size bed at a fancy house. He could only imagine what Nick and Louis’ bedroom looked like, but over the past month or so he had settled on a basic idea for their imaginary room where most of these fantasies took place. As usual, he imagined that room was actually  _ his _ and he was getting caught. But this time, instead of it only being Nick or Louis finding him and coming in to finish the job of taking him apart themselves, when imaginary Harry looked over his shoulder towards the door, he found both Louis  _ and  _ Nick walking towards him.

He came the hardest he could remember that night. It was only as he was coming down from his high that he started realizing what he’d just done.

Was it better or worse morally that Harry was imagining being with both of them instead of just one now? 

Oh shit. Harry pushed himself off of his bed in a hurry, rushing to his little en suite to start cleaning up as he tried to ignore the churning in his stomach. Tossing the dildo into the sink to be dealt with later, Harry turned on the water in the shower and made it as hot as he possibly could. Stepping in, he let the water pound his back as he leaned against the shower wall.

Harry had thought he’d gotten past that particular… interest. When he’d first discovered porn, he’d enjoyed it well enough. It was certainly more than enough to get his teenage self feeling fulfilled. It didn’t take long for him to discover certain kinks that he enjoyed and sought out, though. 

In one of those searches he came across a video that had not just the two men, but a third who discovered them and joined in. Harry had felt  _ filthy _ after watching that. Guilty in a way he hadn’t even felt after watching his first porn video. There was something incredibly taboo and almost wrong feeling about finding it so sexy, so appealing to have more than one partner sexually. After all, he knew that polygamy was illegal and they learned all about that in history class, and that was in addition to the bible telling him that sexually desiring anyone other than your partner was a sin. He was having a hard enough time getting past the idea that had been firmly reiterated time and time again as a child at church that being gay was a sin, there was no way he was going to take on whatever it was in him that enjoyed the idea of having sex with more than one man at a time.

So Harry did what he did with most things he couldn’t understand: he ignored it. It worked well enough until he was in college. He’d started casually dating two different guys around the same time. He’d had such a long dry spell for his freshman and sophomore years that he figured trying multiple at once might give him a better chance to find one that actually stuck.

That idea definitely came back to bite him in the ass. Both of the guys he was dating knew they were casual and both were dating others as well, but he was quickly developing feelings for  _ both of them.  _ He’d hoped that he’d grow to favor one and he could then break things off with the other. It had made sense when he had started it. But then, Christmas came and both were asking him to be exclusive and he realized he loved both of them.

In the end, he’d broken it off with both of them and had sworn off dating until after he had finished college. What kind of person fell in love with two people at the same time? That was the kind of twisted shit that happened in bad rom-coms and it was always the person who had fallen in love with both of them that had made the mistake somewhere. A choice had to be made and someone always ended up hurt. In Harry’s experience,  _ everyone _ did, because how was he supposed to tell them yes, I’d love to be exclusive with you…  _ and _ someone else? 

No. There was obviously something wrong with Harry and he still wasn’t sure what exactly it was, because he would rather ignore it and pretend it didn’t exist than actually deal with it. He had thought it was working and maybe that was just a phase he’d grown out of, but now here he was not only getting off to the thought of a married man, but  _ two _ married men at the same time. The same issue, a different day. And Harry still had no idea what to do with it.

As he shakily rinsed off in the shower, he imagined his worries going down the drain. He knew that wasn’t the case, but it was soothing enough that he didn’t feel quite as sick by the time he turned off the water.

He finished cleaning up and climbed into bed shortly after. As he tried to calm his racing mind, he came to the conclusion that the best thing for him to do was to give himself some space. Spend a few weeks away from Nick and Louis and see if things calmed down for him. They were busy and important men, surely they wouldn’t miss him too much. It would be fine.

Harry finally fell asleep repeating  _ Everything will be fine,  _ but it didn’t stop him from dreaming about a group cuddle on Nick and Louis’ couch during a movie night.

*~~***~~*

_ Louis: You feeling better? We worried about you all weekend! _

*~~***~~*

_ Nick: Don’t forget about the Halloween party next weekend! We need you for the third gay musketeer! Still want us to pick you up? _

*~~***~~*

_ Louis: Hey, haven’t heard from you in a few days, you doing okay? _

*~~***~~*

_ Louis: Are you ignoring us? What’s going on? Why aren’t you answering? _

*~~***~~*

_ Nick: Don’t be a fucking dramatic bitch, we’ve both got that covered in spades and don’t need it from you too. If we did something wrong just tell us, yeah? _

*~~***~~*

_ Nick: Sorry I was so angry last night. We just really miss you :(  _

As Harry stared at the last unanswered text from Nick that had come in just twenty minutes earlier, he could admit he wasn’t handling the situation in the best way. He’d tried continuing to keep talking to them, but was finding it hard to pretend everything was okay when he felt like it was anything but. His dreams had been plagued with images of the three of them together. It wasn’t even dirty, it was really soft, actually. Domestic, even. It was the three of them enjoying dinner together. Having cuddles with all of them shoved onto a love seat together. Sleeping snuggled up with Nick spooning Harry while Louis did what he could to pull both of them closer to him. It left him with such a strong feeling of longing that he didn’t know what to do about it. It was very quickly growing to the point of being out of control.

He couldn’t keep giving them the silent treatment, though. They’d done nothing wrong. If anything, they’d done everything perfectly and Harry was just a fucked up shit.

Closing his eyes and sighing, he scrubbed his face. He really shouldn’t be so hard on himself. It’s not like he could help how he felt, and he didn’t  _ want _ to be like that.

Finally tapping out a reply, Harry edited it at least seventeen times before finally sending it off to Nick.

_ Harry: I’m so sorry. It wasn’t just food poisoning, it was definitely a virus of some kind that took longer to recover from than I expected. I was so tired I just wasn’t up to replying to anything either, but I think I’m finally starting to feel better. I miss you guys too! _

Harry banged his head on the counter and counted to ten before standing back up again. He  _ had _ been feeling sick the entire last almost two weeks, so it wasn’t that much of a lie. He certainly wasn’t going to tell the truth, so it was the best he could do. Hopefully it was enough.

Turning back to the stove, Harry continued doing all the prep work for dinner so he would just need to heat it up after Bri’s hockey practice. By the time he was done with that, the laundry should be ready to be switched and he was still on schedule to be able to watch the reruns of Gilmore Girls and Dawson’s Creek that aired every lunchtime as he folded.

Then again, his phone was buzzing its way across the counter at strange intervals that likely meant Nick was overexcited and replying one word at a time like he sometimes did. Rolling his eyes, Harry continued looking at the rice to make sure he wasn’t overcooking it before he needed to add the broth. 

Once it had finally been added, he opened his phone and couldn’t stop laughing at Nick’s reaction. He’d sent an entire chain of emojis one right after the other. At first they made sense with it morphing from sick and crying emojis all the way up to excited and happy emojis, but then it seemed he was just having fun sending anything and everything. The longer Harry scrolled, Nick started sending what looked to be beakers for science experiments, weird symbols, a duck, some lotion, an umbrella, some chopsticks, and someone fencing.

Shaking his head, Harry just sent back some smiling emojis and went to take care of the laundry. By the time he came back, Nick had actually replied with words, which was a nice change.

_ Nick: Honestly though, sorry you were feeling like shit for so long, and sorry I didn’t take well to being ignored.  _ __   
_ Nick: I’d say I’m not usually that bad, but… I am. And you know it by now. _ _   
_ __ Nick: You feeling up for a movie night tomorrow at least? We really would like to spend some time with you, if that’s alright.

Harry closed his eyes and vague, foggy memories of some of his dreams came rushing in uninvited. “Stupid,” he muttered to himself before typing out a quick answer. He knew the movie night would be like all the others where he took one couch and they took the other or some similar arrangement, and that was fine. He would expect nothing else, really.

_ Harry: Yes, please, but only if you don’t get to choose what we watch _ _   
_ _ Harry: You have horrible taste _

He didn’t bother locking his phone, he knew that was enough to get Nick up in arms. He was right.

_ Nick: I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO OFFENDED IN MY LIFE _ __   
_ Nick: TAKE THAT BACK _ _   
_ __ Nick: I HAVE IMPECCABLE TASTE THANKYOUVERYMUCH

Harry chuckled and typed his reply before finally turning on the TV and starting his laundry folding. 

_ Harry: You wanted us to watch Bridesmaids twice in a row last time, I think that alone proves my point _ _   
_ _ Harry: Now I’ve got actual work to do here, so I’ll talk to you tomorrow _

He’d already folded half of the first load by the time Nick finally responded. Harry just glanced at the phone, smiled, and turned back to folding. 

_ Nick: Bridesmaids is a classic and don’t you forget it. See ya tomorrow _

Already, things almost felt back to normal with Nick. He could definitely do this.

*~~***~~*

Harry was surprised when he pulled up in front of Nick and Louis’ house. He’d zoned out as soon as he got on the outerbelt and apparently autopilot took him the rest of the way. He didn’t really want to think about that further, so he quickly shut off the car and walked to the front door.

After ringing the bell, Harry heard Louis yelling as he walked towards the door.

“It’s Harry or Uber Eats, I’ll take your bets as to which one now!”

Harry couldn’t hear Nick’s reply, but he did hear Louis’ laugh. When Louis opened the door, his smile only widened to the point of making his eyes crinkle and he pulled Harry in for a tight hug.

“Hey, so glad you feel up to socializing again,” he said before pulling away, only the scent of his expensive cologne lingering. “Nick decided we needed to feed you lots to help you recover even more, so we ordered half the menu from our favorite mom and pop place down the road. Should be here any minute.”

Guilt festered in Harry’s chest, but he had to admit he was fairly hungry. He hadn’t been able to eat much earlier. He’d been too nervous thinking about how angry Louis might be. He knew that Nick held a grudge, but he was nothing compared to Louis. He’d talked to Nick, but not Louis yet, so he wasn’t sure how Louis would feel. As soon as Harry was pulled into his strong frame, though, Harry knew everything would be fine.

“Sounds great. Thanks for spoiling me,” Harry said, smiling a little as he stepped inside and kicked off his shoes.

“Of course! We’re like your sugar daddies,” Louis said, cocking his head to the side a touch as Harry tried not to choke on his spit. “Except not sexual. We’re just literally trying to mother you. You know what I mean.”

Harry wasn’t really sure he did, actually. Louis had been so nonchalant about it, as if talking about sugar daddies and everything that entailed was just a run of the mill conversation topic, so Harry tried to ignore it and move on. Louis was talking again anyway. 

“Go on in with Nick, he’s already in the living room. I narrowed the movies down to four, he’s going to take it down to two and you’ll make the final choice. Uber should be here any minute.”

Harry nodded and walked towards where he heard Nick grumbling.

“ _ Bridesmaids _ wasn’t included, was it?” Harry teased before flopping himself down on the couch beside Nick so he could look over the selection.

“Of course not. He hates that one,” Nick said with a put upon sigh. “I’m dead tired of the Marvel ones, though. Too many characters. I don’t care enough to try to keep them straight. So here’s the last two for you.”

Harry pursed his lips. He wasn’t sure if he was in the mood for drawn out, tear inducing drama, so he looked at the other option and immediately said, “That one. Definitely.”

“In a Christmassy mood?” Nick teased, picking up  _ Love Actually _ and carrying it over to their Blu-Ray player. “Lou will be happy. It’s one of his favorites.”

“Same,” Harry said, sighing and leaning back into the cushions. He’d been so worried, but he really had missed Nick and Louis. There was something so comforting about just being in their home, surrounded by the scent of Nick’s favorite candles.

“He actually chose  _ Love Actually?” _ Louis asked as he walked into the room. When Harry looked up, he looked like he was carrying four separate bags of food.

“Oh my God, did you guys buy the entire restaurant?” Harry leaned forward and the scent that wafted out of the bag closest to him on the coffee table smelled so good it made him groan. “Fuck, that smells amazing.”

“I already told you that we did,” Louis said, arching his brow. “Picking the movie you did though is an excellent way to say thank you. Now, scoot to the middle there. Nick and I decided we’ve got to cuddle you tonight because that’s one of the most healing parts, isn’t it? All the cuddles?”

Harry felt like his heart suddenly skipped a few beats and Louis was speaking in slow-motion when he got to the end of his suggestion.  _ All the cuddles. _ Harry was not prepared for this. He was so incredibly happy to be back with the two of them but sat between them on the couch? That wasn’t going to help with any of the issues he’d been trying to work his way through the past two weeks.

“Come on. Scooch,” Louis had finally finished taking all the food out of the bags, and Harry was brought back to reality when Louis forced his way between Harry and the armrest. This was actually happening.

Louis smelled so good Harry almost felt like his head was fogging. In order to try to breathe fresh air that wasn’t entirely dominated by Louis’ cologne, Harry leaned forward and began perusing all of the food options.

“Even got some salads for you,” Nick said as he squeezed into the space on Harry’s other side. “Made sure they were the yummy kind with cheese and fried chicken. Oh, and we asked for extra honey mustard dressing, too.”

Harry was so overwhelmed with everything he very well might cry. Well, he already was basically guaranteed to do that at least three different times during the movie, but it hadn’t even started yet and he already felt near tears. 

“Thank you so much,” Harry said, sounding as choked up as he felt. “I really appreciate you guys.”

“Awwwww, don’t cry. I hate when people cry. I never know what to do with the tears and emotions and all that,” Nick said, waving his hands around as he started looking uncomfortable. 

“Fuck off, Nicholas,” Louis said, tugging Harry into him and wrapping him into his arms. At least now Harry was so focused on keeping his tears held back he wasn’t focused on his delicious smell and the warmth of his body seeping through Harry’s t-shirt.

*~~***~~*

It was already the night of Liam and Zayn’s Halloween party, and Harry was nervous but also incredibly excited. There was no way he was going to look anywhere near as good as Louis and Nick in their matching costumes, but he didn’t care. He was still one of the Three Musketeers. It was cheesy, but he was so pleased to be included in a group costume he didn’t care.

“Harry,” Gayle called down to the basement. “Your friends are here!”

“Oh my God, look at you three,” Gayle said, clasping her hands together as Harry emerged from the basement. “I wish Barry and the kids were here to see this. You look incredible. Hold on, I’ve got to take a photo.”

Gayle rushed out of the entryway and towards the office where he knew she kept her fancy camera. 

“Sorry,” Harry said quietly, blushing a little. Gayle had truly become a bit of an adoptive mother to him during his time in DC. He appreciated her, but also felt a bit like he was back in high school. These men were  _ mature _ and  _ older. _ They likely didn’t want to be taking pictures with Harry for Harry’s boss.

“Oh, Harold,” Louis said, smiling. “No worries. Really.”

“Here we are! Okay, the best lighting is actually in here by the piano if you don’t mind coming in here a bit further. Oh, and Harry, put on your boots. We need the complete ensemble!”

Chuckling, Harry dropped his boots and pulled them up to his knees. Once they felt right, he walked in by the piano and joined Louis and Nick in front of it. 

“Oooh, you are all so handsome,” Gayle said as she took a few photos. “Okay, I think that’s enough. Thank you for indulging me. Now, go out and have a good time! You’re staying out for the night, is that right?”

“Yeah, I’ll be back sometime tomorrow,” Harry promised as he followed Nick and Louis to the door.

“Or Sunday,” Louis said with a wink sent Gayle’s way. “Harry’s such great company, sometimes we just don’t want to let him go.”

“Oh, we understand!” Gayle said. “Have a good night!”

Once they were out the door, Nick pulled Harry into his side. “She is the most adorable, tiny, yet feisty woman I’ve ever met in my life, and I know Louis’ mom and many sisters!”

“She is not more adorable than my mom,” Louis argued before climbing into the passenger seat of a car Harry hadn’t seen before.

“Is this one new?” Harry asked as he got in the back. He had to say it was nice to not have to climb through the small space left in a two door this time.

“Nah, this is my winter car,” Nick answered climbing in.

“You two are too fucking rich,” Harry said with a laugh. “How about you get me a new car with some of that money?”

“Well, we can do that if you’d really like us to,” Louis said, turning around before giving Harry a suggestive wink. “But that requires some form of payment, even if not monetary. It’ll take time to build up to a new car.”

Harry’s mouth went dry thinking about what kind of payment Louis might be thinking of when Louis started laughing and turned back around.

“I have no idea what you were thinking back there, but that was amazing,” Louis said as Nick nudged him and told him to stop teasing Harry. “Okay, okay. It shouldn’t take long to get to the party, it’s actually pretty closeby.”

Harry chuckled as Nick pulled onto the outerbelt for maybe two miles before getting off again, this time in the hilly and wooded area of Virginia. As they started driving down a winding road, Harry felt like his face was nearly glued to the window. He was so glad Nick was driving so he could take in the beauty of their surroundings. 

“I hate this road,” Louis groaned. “Can’t you go a bit slower over those hills so it doesn’t make me quite so nauseous?”

“Sorry, love,” Nick murmured as he patted Louis’ knee. “That was the largest one, so the rest shouldn’t be so bad.”

“Fucking hate Great Falls. It’s like we’re back driving through the country roads of Kentucky or something.”

Harry chuckled until they pulled into a driveway for a house that at first glance looked to be a normal brick house from the suburbs on steroids. It was fancy, without a doubt, and incredibly large. But it wasn’t quite as imposing as Nick and Louis’, so Harry’s first impression wasn’t quite as nerve wracking.

But then Nick pulled to the side of the house where Harry assumed there would be a garage.

There was not a garage. There was what looked like  _ acres _ of land sprawling out to the left edged by more trees and to the right, the house continued back until it ended by a large pool that had been closed off. There were at least two bonfires behind the house and a DJ stand beside the deck.

“Is it an entirely outdoor party?” Harry asked as Nick parked where directed. There was actually a man in an orange vest with glowing bands to direct people on where to park. How fucking big was this party going to be?

“Nah, most of it will be inside, but they always like having bonfires and at least two DJs to offer a variety of things for people to enjoy,” Nick explained before he came around and opened Harry’s door. “Come on, we’ll show you around. You should know a good amount of people already from my party. We hang out with a similar crowd.”

Harry climbed out and tried his best to make his thanks heard, but he was feeling so out of place. He’d only seen this kind of set up in movies, he’d not thought it was actually  _ real. _ Maybe in California, but northern Virginia was  _ not _ where he expected to find this kind of party.

“Don’t worry. We won’t lose you. We’re the Three Musketeers! Our costumes are only great if we’re together the whole night, right?”

Harry shook his head and allowed Louis to loop his arm through Harry’s.

Nick was right. As soon as they walked in the door, Harry saw a handful of people he recognized from Nick’s birthday party and that put him at ease, even if he still felt like he was a male Cinderella at the prince’s ball.

“Grim! Lou! Haven’t seen you in ages!” someone Harry didn’t recognize said as she launched herself at Nick, wrapping him in a big hug.

“Hey, Colleen,” Nick said, giving Louis a funny look Harry didn’t understand. “So good to see you. Where have you been traveling lately?”

“Oh, you know. Here and there. Just got back from Vietnam yesterday,” the redhead said as she pulled back and pulling Louis in for a hug just a tight as the one she’d just given Nick. 

“Ah, Vietnam. Of course,” Louis said, chuckling. “Colleen, this is our friend, Harry. Harry, this is Colleen. She does a bit of everything, don’t you, Colleen?”

Colleen turned to Harry and pulled him in for a hug too. It was then he could smell the very strong and distinct scent of weed on her. That explained the look on Nick’s face, then. 

“Harry, hello. Welcome! If you’re a friend of Grim and Lou’s, then you’re definitely a friend of mine.” It was then she seemed to recognize their costumes. “Ooh, couples costumes, eh? Or, well, triad costumes? So you’ve found another, huh?”

Louis made a choking sound just as Nick said, “Not really, like, at all, actually. It’s just a group costume, you know?”

Triad costume? Was that something different from a group costume? It seemed like maybe it was based on Louis’ reaction and Nick’s clarification. Not that either of their reactions really made any sense to Harry, but he’d have time to ask about that later.

“Oh, right. Sorry, didn’t mean to make assumptions,” Colleen said, her eyes wide and hands out to all of them. “Sorry, I just thought… well. Never mind.” Before they had a chance to say anything more, she squealed and left them as quickly as she’d come.

“Oh my God, she wasn’t even in costume, she was just in her usual clothes, high as a kite,” Louis said, laughing. “I think I need a drink if that’s how this evening’s going to go.”

“Yes, lead the way,” Nick said, putting his hand on Harry’s back to help guide him through the crowd.

“I swear you two choose costumes simply based on the idea of if it would allow you to put on eyeliner or not,” a familiar voice said as soon as they entered the kitchen. 

Harry turned to his right and saw Niall pouring himself a drink.

“You say that like it’s not a valid reason to plan a costume by,” Louis teased before he grabbed Niall’s cup and took a sip. Wincing, he handed it back immediately. “That tastes like shit.”

“Yeah, cause I’m still making it, you impatient fuck.” Shaking his head, his gaze looked Harry up and down before looking back to Nick and Louis. “So, matching costumes, eh?”

The way he said it had Harry confused again, though. It was like there was something loaded in the question, and the look on his face added to that. It was just a group costume. Harry was sure that if he hadn’t become friends with them, they’d have invited someone else to take part in it with them. It’s what friends  _ do. _

Sighing, Louis shook his head and covered his face. Harry could tell he was trying not to ruin his makeup. “Just a group costume, Ni. We’re the Three Musketeers. You haven’t heard of the  _ two _ musketeers, have you?”

“This is going to be a thing all night, isn’t it?” Nick questioned. 

“Yep,” Niall said before taking a taste of his drink. 

“What is?” Harry finally interjected. Three sets of eyes looked at him, two wide and nervous and the other amused. 

“Nothing, H. Nothing to worry about. Just ignore us,” Nick said before holding out a cup for Harry. “Here, better start drinking up.”

Harry knew they were glossing over something, but he was so overwhelmed by everything else that he made a mental note to ask about it later. Taking the offered drink, Harry took a sip and hummed happily when he realized Nick remembered his preferred drink from his party.

“Know his drink order too?” Niall asked, sounding surprised.

“Fuck off, Ni,” Louis said, more sharply than Harry thought the occasion warranted. 

“Yeah, alright. See all of you later,” Niall said before patting Harry on the shoulder and leaving the kitchen.

“Sorry, Harry,” Louis apologized again before taking the drink Nick offered him. “People might be weird tonight, but don’t worry. It’s nothing to do with you, just us. Okay?”

Harry shrugged and downed the drink quickly. Maybe if he got drunk faster he wouldn’t notice everyone being so weird.

“That’s how it’s done,” Nick said taking Harry’s empty cup back to make another. “I’m only going to have one, I’m the driver after all, but you two should feel free to have as much as you want. Yeah?”

Harry smiled and nodded before Nick handed him another drink. 

*~~***~~*

It didn’t take long for Harry to reach the point of no longer feeling self conscious. Only three of the strong, fruity drinks Nick specialized in had him feeling all warm and tingly in a way that made it so even when people kept saying things he didn’t understand, he didn’t care. He did worry what they were implying though, because Louis and Nick had to keep emphasizing that they were friends with him.

Did these people see through Harry? Did they realize he was just a boy from the countryside of Michigan, working as a nanny? Maybe they thought he was just using them for their money. Maybe they thought he was just there to rub elbows with famous people and see how people lived when they didn’t have to worry about how much a car repair might throw off their monthly budget.

Or worse, what if they saw Harry stood beside Louis and Nick and thought he wasn’t pretty enough? They obviously surrounded themselves with beautiful people regularly, every person Harry had met that they’re close to was absolutely stunning. Harry was… not. He was average. His mouth was slightly too large for his face, his hair was unruly at best, and his arms and legs never felt like they were under complete control. Maybe they just felt like he was the Walmart knock-off of someone else who should actually be stood by their side as their friends.

“Hey, love, I think you should maybe slow down and have some water now, yeah?”

Harry looked up from his unfortunately empty cup and smiled happily to see it was Nick again. 

“Nick!” Harry cried, throwing his arms up and around Nick’s neck. “I’m so glad you’re my friend. Thank you so much for defending me. I’m sorry they don’t think I’m good enough.”

“Oh my God, I left you for five minutes to piss. You’re even worse off than I realized,” Nick said, chuckling. “What are you talking about?”

“You and Louis have to keep telling people we’re friends, like they don’t believe you,” Harry said, pouting but not doing anything to change how he was literally hanging off the older man now. “They shouldn’t believe you. I’m a fraud. I’m not good enough to be here, much less friends with you.”

“What?” Nick asked sharply. “Who gave you that idea?”

“I’m just so glad you are still defending me,” Harry sighed into Nick’s neck. He smelled so delicious, just like he always did. His skin was soft where his scruff tapered off, and Harry could just imagine how the salt of his neck would taste.

He couldn’t do that, though. Nick and Louis might be defending him as their friend, but licking his friend’s neck was definitely going too far. Definitely.

“Ooooookay, can you stand on your own, darling?” 

Harry felt himself being pushed away from Nick, and he was so scared that meant Nick had had enough and finally realized his  _ real _ friends were right, he clung onto him even harder with a whimper.

“Alright, alright. We won’t do that, then. But I do need you to lean on my side a bit so we can walk back downstairs, yeah? Coming up to the DJ on the third floor was definitely a mistake.”

Nick kept talking, but Harry couldn’t take all his words in. His vision was foggy and his hearing was doing silly things, too. Maybe it was because of the music in the background. Or the drinks. Yeah, the drinks probably did it.

Harry had just tripped over the bottom step and was about to grab onto Nick even harder when Louis appeared in front of him.

“Lou!” Harry cried, so happy to see his other friend. “It’s been so long, Lou. I thought you’d forgotten me.”

Just like he had with Nick upstairs, Harry flung himself at Louis, and felt himself be jostled as Louis’ arms went around him to steady him.

“Nick, I’m too drunk to support him,” Louis said, but Harry didn’t care. He smelled just as delicious as his husband, and Harry wanted to lick his neck too. “Why the fuck did you let me drink so much? I’m almost thirty, my body doesn’t handle it as well as it used to.”

“Well, I didn’t realize we’d have to carry our dear Harold to the car,” Nick said and then there was another set of hands on Harry. “You aren’t gonna be sick in the car, are you?”

Harry finally opened his eyes and once he got them focused enough, he turned towards where he knew Nick would be and shook his head. 

“Nope. Only ever puked while drunk once, and I was sixteen. I’m good to go.”

“Alright,” Nick said, hoisting most of Harry’s weight back into him and off of Louis. “Well let’s go then. I don’t think it’s a good idea to keep you here any longer.”

“I’m so glad you both defended me,” Harry continued. He really was so glad. He felt like their friendship was even more solid now than it had been before. It was definitely the right thing to try to work past his issues a few weeks ago. “You’re both such good friends. Thank you for telling everyone I’m your friend, even if I’m not good enough.”

Louis started giggling and Harry saw him stumble a bit himself before he came back towards Harry and Nick. “Not good enough? For what?”

“He’s convinced he isn’t good enough to be friends with us or something,” Nick said as he helped Harry down the front steps of the house. “I’m not sure exactly, he wouldn’t shut up about it upstairs, though.”

“You defended my honor!” Harry cried, raising a fist in the air. “You told everyone we are friends, even if I’m not as pretty as you or smart as you and am just a nanny! You made me feel like I belong even though I don’t.”

“Awwwwww, Harryyyyyyyy,” Louis cooed, coming up to him and pinching his cheeks. They hurt a little, because the two of them tripped each other up, despite Nick doing what he could to keep them all upright. “You’re far too good for us! Not the other way around. You definitely belong, with us  _ and _ anywhere you want to be.”

Harry stumbled over something and almost went down, making Louis laugh again before he stumbled as well. 

“I don’t remember the grass being so bumpy,” Louis complained.

“It’s not,” Nick said with a sigh. “We’re almost to the car, come on, you messy bitches.”

“We’re messy Musketeers, thank you!” Louis cried, raising his fist in the air like Harry had earlier.

“Yes!” Harry agreed, excited about the alliteration. “Messy Musketeers!”

“Fuck, I hate you two right now,” Nick said, but Harry looked up and he was smiling. That was good. He didn’t want Nick to actually hate them.

“Oh, look! We brought your winter car!” Louis said, hopping around and leaning onto the hood. “I’d forgotten we brought the winter car. Its so sexy and black. I think I want you to fuck me on this car.”

“We can make that happen another time, my love,” Nick assured him as he unlocked the car and eased open the back door. “We’ve got company and you’re a bit too drunk for that tonight.”

Sighing, Louis hefted himself up and almost fell again. “Maybe you’re right. But I still want you to fuck me on it.”

“It’s a great car to be fucked on,” Harry agreed as he laid down in the back seat. “I wouldn’t mind being fucked on it either.”

Louis hummed and giggled a little as Nick helped him into the front seat. “Careful where you touch me if you don’t want this going further tonight, good sir!”

“I’m fucking buckling you in, you idiot,” Nick said back before pressing a kiss to Louis’ forehead. “It’s nothing untoward, I assure you.”

Harry turned himself onto his back and realized he could see some stars even through the moon roof. They were so pretty. Just like his friends.

“I’m so happy you’re my friends,” Harry said again. 

“Yes, Harold, and so are we,” Nick agreed as he started the car. “Come on, let's get you messy boys home and hydrated before bed. We can worry about everything else tomorrow.”

Harry hummed, and the gentle vibrations of the car lulled him to sleep within minutes.

*~~***~~*

Harry pulled up in front of Minerva’s and cursed the fact he was so late. He’d warned them he would be considering both Gayle and Barry were late getting home due to traffic, so he was getting a later start than he’d anticipated  _ and _ that likely meant his own route was going to be worse than usual traffic wise, but he still felt bad. Especially since they were planning on actually seeing a movie in theaters tonight.

As Harry walked up to the restaurant, he saw them sat by one of the front windows. Louis caught his eye and waved. Harry nodded and greeted the host as he indicated he knew where his friends were and walked to their table.

“Hey, you made it,” Louis said as he stood and offered a hug. 

Harry took a deep breath and felt the stress of the drive start to melt away with just the scent of Louis and his warm body surrounding him. Just as he had been doing for weeks now, Harry did his best to ignore it and act like everything was normal.

“Yeah, I’m so sorry I’m late. You know how 495 is on a Friday,” Harry said, rolling his eyes. 

Nick offered a smile and stood for a hug as well. He was seated across from Louis instead of beside him like Harry had been expecting. Nick’s own scent and tight hug helped Harry relax even further. 

“Yeah, the beltway is the worst, especially when people are worried about weather moving in,” Nick agreed. “We decided we wanted to play footsie tonight, so you can choose who your date is.”

Louis winked at Harry as Nick laughed, but Harry had to practically force the butterflies back down into dormancy. He couldn’t help it, but every time they said some flippant and silly thing like that, Harry’s body reacted like they were  _ flirting _ or something. Of course they weren’t, that was just their brand of humor, but Harry still hadn’t been able to rid himself of his stupid crush enough to tell his body they didn’t mean anything by it.

Laughing to cover up his delayed reaction, Harry just sat beside Nick since he was already basically in the bench thanks to the hug.

“Ah, I’m the favorite. Great choice, Harold.” Nick raised his arm to put around Harry’s shoulders.

Harry did his best to act like snuggling up to Nick meant nothing, but in reality he knew it would only add to his daydreams.

“Okay, now on to the important topic,” Louis said, leaning forward. “You said you’d only had Indian food  _ once, _ is that right?”

Harry winced. “Yeah? My town is small. I had it once when I went to Cleveland, but that’s it.”

Tutting, Nick opened the menu in front of them and started pointing out his favorite dishes and talking about their different flavors and styles of food.

Harry quickly felt overwhelmed. 

“Oh come off it, Nicholas,” Louis said. “We can give him the full background later. Harry, the safest bets for a first timer are the butter chicken or chicken tikka masala, but if you want to try a rice dish then I think you’d also really like a biryani.”

Wide eyed, Harry read the descriptions for those dishes in the menu, before quickly deciding he’d do a chicken biryani. Whatever that was, exactly. He still wasn’t sure, even with the description.

Their orders were taken and Louis ordered Harry a mango lassi, then they settled back into their seats, Nick’s arm still wrapped around Harry’s shoulders.

“So, with my being so late there’s no way we’d be able to make it up to Arlington for that film. It starts in thirty minutes,” Harry said once he’d double checked the time. “Is there something good playing at a theater that’s closer?”

Louis poked at his phone and shrugged. “Nothing that really struck our fancy. Everything good that’s coming out isn’t going to be released until Thanksgiving or Christmas at this point, you know? And none of them have retro theater or indie films on a Friday like the one in Arlington does, unfortunately.”

“I mean, we could always see what’s happening at Jammin’ Java,” Nick suggested, thanking the server and taking a drink of his sweet lassi. “We missed the Citizens earlier this week, but the shows there don’t often sell out so we could maybe get tickets for whoever is playing tonight instead.”

“What’s Jammin’ Java?” Harry asked.

“Oh, it’s this great coffee shop in Vienna,” Louis said, sitting up and looking excited. “They get a lot of great bands and singers in that are lesser known or maybe a bit older that don’t have huge followings anymore but are still really great. The shop has a recording studio inside of it and everything, but their shows are always really intimate and great.”

“Oh, that sounds really awesome, actually,” Harry said, getting excited. He loved finding new music he might be into. “Who’s playing tonight?”

Nick got to the page faster than Louis did and answered for him. “It looks like Eric Brace, Peter Cooper, Thomm Jutz Trio.” Squishing up his nose and pursing his lips, Nick looked at Louis. “This definitely seems more your style than mine, but it’s always worth a shot.”

Harry shrugged. “How much are tickets? Similar to a movie around here?”

Louis snorted. “Yeah, probably. I think they’re usually around fifteen or twenty bucks.”

“Yeah, no worries. I’m getting us tickets now,” Nick said as he continued clicking on their phone. “I’m actually proper excited. It’s been awhile since we’ve been to a gig that wasn’t work related for me.”

“Yeah, I’m surprised you were even free on a Friday night, honestly,” Louis said, smiling. “It’s getting to the busy season.”

“Not just yet, that picks up after Thanksgiving really.” Nick turned to Harry. “Sadly you won’t be seeing much of me starting in a few weeks. Lou and I are like ships passing in the night between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, which is really sad since that’s when his birthday is.”

Louis pouted a bit before laughing. “It’s okay. He always makes sure to get my birthday off and we make up for it by having a big birthday bash for me in January.”

“When’s your birthday?” Harry asked.

Louis shrugged. “Christmas Eve.”

“Oh, shit. I’ll miss it too,” he said, disappointed. Not like him being there when Louis’ own husband couldn’t be would be a worthy substitute, but he’d wanted to at least help distract him or something that day. That wouldn’t be happening, though.

“Well, I won’t miss his actual birthday,” Nick said, pulling Harry in closer to his side. “But we do like to make big deals of our birthdays, and I’m just not able to do that for him closer to his birthday is all. But I do make sure to at least keep Christmas Eve and Christmas Day clear so we can be with family.”

“That’s nice,” Harry said, smiling.

The food soon came and it was just as delicious as Louis and Nick had promised. Harry was glad he was able to try it, because he might officially be addicted.

“Can we have the check, please?” Louis asked the next time their server came by to refill their water. Turning to Nick and Harry, Louis said, “We need to get going soon if we want to get there before the set starts.”

Nodding his understanding, Harry took one last drink of his lassi, which was also amazing, just as the server asked, “One check or separate?”

Harry motioned at himself as he tried setting down his glass and swallowing the rest of the lassi in a hurry, but Nick beat him to the punch.

“One check, please. Thank you so much.”

Once it was finally swallowed, the server was gone so Harry turned to Nick and gave him a light punch.

“What’s that for?” Nick asked, rubbing his upper arm even though there was no chance it actually hurt.

“I was going to pay for my own,” Harry said, folding his arms. “Just tell me how much my part is as well as the concert and I’ll Venmo it or something.”

Nick flapped his hand in Harry’s direction at the same time Louis said, “No you will not, this is our treat.”

Pouting, Harry folded his arms and sank back in his seat. “I don’t want to take advantage. I can actually pay for myself, you know.”

“Yes, young Harold, we know,” Louis said as he rolled his eyes. “But we  _ like _ treating people to things, okay? Just let us do this from time to time. It’s really not a big deal.”

Taking a deep breath, Harry tried to talk himself down. He knew it wasn’t really, but it also made it feel so much more like a date. A date with two men, but a date all the same. It was exactly what he had been trying so hard not to feel like. It was better than feeling like an unwelcome third wheel or a hanger on, but it didn’t help his feelings much.

“Come on, babe. Let us treat you, yeah?” Nick said as he pulled Harry back into him again, this time wrapping Harry in both arms. “We just like to show you how much we appreciate your company sometimes, and this might be the last time we are able to be with you, all three of us, for quite awhile. We’ve got to enjoy it while we can.”

“Yeah, alright,” Harry said, smiling.

In the end, he knew it didn’t mean to them the same thing it meant to him, so he figured once in awhile was fine. He just needed to make sure it didn’t become more often than that, or he’d be in real trouble.

*~~***~~*

“Hey, I’m so glad you’re joining us for this!” Niall said happily as he met Harry in front of the carousel. “We weren’t sure if you’d already left for Thanksgiving or not, but they always do a special Tuesday dance night the week of Thanksgiving here and we thought you might wanna join.”

“Oh, yeah, I leave tomorrow morning to drive home, actually, so it was perfect timing,” Harry said with a smile. He’d been so pleased to get the text from an unknown number inviting him to Glen Echo. He hadn’t been swing dancing since he and Louis went in early October and he’d missed it.

“Good. And you’re not mad Tommo shared your number, right?”

Harry laughed and shook his head. “No, it’s fine.”

“Great. Well with you we get the group discount! Even without Louis.”

“Oh,” Harry said, trying to mask his disappointment. “Louis isn’t coming tonight?”

He and Nick both had work commitments come up which meant they hadn’t had a chance to see each other since their night at the restaurant and Jammin’ Java. It had been a great night, but Harry had missed them and wanted to spend more time with them. He’d really hoped Louis would be here tonight so he could at least see him if not Nick.

“Nah, he got sucked into some meeting with a manufacturer on the west coast and someone on his team dropped the ball, so he’s stuck at work until who knows when,” Niall explained as he walked towards the group of people that were obviously waiting for them. “It’s been kind of an ongoing thing, I guess, which is why he’s been working so many hours for the past couple weeks. The deadline is Friday, so it looks like he and Nick won’t even get to go home for Thanksgiving, which sucks.”

“Oh, yeah it does,” Harry said. All of this was news to him, but he’d known they were busy. He’d figured they were particularly busy since they hadn’t even been texting him as regularly as they usually did, but now the extent to which they were busy was clear. “That’s too bad they won’t see their family.”

Niall shrugged. “They’ll live. It’s happened before. As long as they get Christmas, all will be well.”

Harry nodded in agreement. Once they joined the group, he waved hello and gave hugs to a few of those who were familiar to him and they went in for the lesson and to dance the rest of the night away.

Harry had barely worked up a sweat as the open dancing had only started when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He tried ignoring it, but it kept buzzing, so he started to worry maybe it was an emergency.

Apologizing to Jesy, his current partner, he pulled the phone out of his pocket and made his way towards the exit, motioning to the woman monitoring the entrance that he’d be back shortly.

Walking out, he was jolted by the temperature difference and wished he’d grabbed his jacket. He kept forgetting the temperature had finally dropped enough to warrant a heavier layer to keep comfortable, and with the layer of sweat on his body it was even worse.

None of that mattered anymore though when he saw it was Louis calling repeatedly. He’d just counted three missed calls and a few random texts from him when another call came through.

“Just promise me no one is dead or dying,” Harry demanded with a shiver.

Louis’ bright laugh was his answer. Already relieved, he was ready to tease Louis about being needy when Louis said, “No one is injured or incapacitated, I promise. Now, you’re at Glen Echo with Ni and Shawn and all them, right?”

“Yeah,” Harry said. “Why? You joining us?”

“Nope,” Louis said. “I’m pulling into the parking lot and I’m kidnapping you”

“Excuse me,” Harry said, trying to sound indignant, but secretly preening. He couldn’t help it. Louis could easily come join the fun and dance as well as hang out with more of his friends, but he’s wanting time alone with Harry instead. “What do you mean you’re kidnapping me?”

“I mean I just got out of a Godawful meeting and I’ve already worked thirty hours this week after a seventy plus hour week last week. I’m not going to get Thanksgiving with my family because of dickwads who got fired for not doing their jobs and so I let myself have this one night to relax, only to remember my husband is working an event. I need attention, Harryyyyyyyy,” Louis whined. “Give me attentionnnnn.”

Snorting, Harry turned to look back at the ballroom. “Fine. I’ll go in and say goodbye to everyone and grab my jacket, then I’ll be out.”

“Fuck yes,” Louis cheered.

“You better be using hands free, or I’m gonna take away your phone privileges.”

“God you’re worse than my mother,” Louis groaned. “Can’t you hear the echo to prove I’m on the horrible hands free car calling system thing? Just go say goodbye to everyone and get your ass out to my car.”

“What about  _ my _ car?” Harry asked, curious. “I will need it to leave in the morning.”

“We’ll take care of that later. Just come here and show me attention like I need, okay? I need to fucking relax and have a good cuddle and enjoy food that doesn’t come from a shitty cafeteria or vending machine.”

“Fine,” Harry sighed loudly into the phone to cover his pleased smile. “Be there soon.”

He hung up and did just as he’d promised before jogging out to Louis’ car.

“God fucking bless you, I am  _ dying _ here,” Louis cheered as soon as Harry jumped into his sleek black car.

“You’re so ridiculous,” Harry laughed as he buckled up. “But yes, I’m assuming you want to be home since you’ve probably barely seen it the past two weeks based off what Niall said?”

“Fuck yes,” Louis sighed as he pulled out of the parking lot. “It had just started when we all went to the concert, but it hadn’t gotten really bad yet. I had no idea all hell would break loose the next week.”

“I’m sorry about that, but I’m glad you’re getting a night to kick back at least and decompress a little before going back in.”

“Me too,” Louis said as he sped around the curvy roads towards his house.

Soon enough they were there and Louis was declaring he was going to order enough food for him to eat the rest of the week. Harry chuckled and got comfortable on the couch in the living room as he waited for Louis to change and join him.

“Did you choose something to watch? I truly do not care what it is, as long as I get cuddles.”

Harry looked over his shoulder and saw Louis come around the corner wearing an oversized shirt that obviously belongs to Nick and an old, threadbare pair of sweatpants. He was entirely too adorable for a twenty-nine year old man.

“Nah, but I figured we could just go to your list in Netflix and pick something.”

“God, yeah, let’s do that. Just don’t make me think, okay?” Louis flopped down onto the couch and put his head in Harry’s lap as he curled up the rest of his body to fit on the other cushion. “I’m so fucking tired.”

“I know,” Harry said, reaching down to pet Louis’ hair with his left hand as he picked up the Apple TV remote with his right and navigated to Netflix. As he scrolled through Louis’ queue, he found several films and shows he hadn’t heard of. “What if we just did Bob Ross?”

“Fuck no,” Louis mumbled. “I’m tired but I don’t want to purposefully fall asleep. Please choose something else.”

“Okay,” Harry mumbled as he kept scrolling. “What about a comedian? John Mulaney? I’ve heard everyone say how funny he is, but I haven’t watched any of his stuff yet and he’s in your list.”

That got Louis sitting up straight and staring at Harry. “You haven’t been introduced to the hilarity that is John fucking Mulaney?”

Harry blinked and shook his head. “No… does that mean I should definitely click on this?”

Louis ripped the remote out of Harry’s hand and immediately started maneuvering around. “We’re going to start with his earliest one. It doesn’t really matter, but I like being able to see the growth of his relationship with his wife through all of them, so that’s how I’m gonna introduce you to him.”

“Alright.”

Right then the doorbell rang and Louis looked at him with puppy eyes. “Can you please bring in the food? Please? My feet hurt so bad.”

Rolling his eyes, Harry got up and went to the door before the driver could ring the bell again.

“Thank you so much,” he thanked as he took the two bags from the man. Louis wasn’t joking, he’d ordered a ridiculous amount of food.

“God, I can smell the enchiladas from here,” Louis yelled. “Gimme gimme gimme!”

“You’re so demanding,” Harry teased as he put the food onto the coffee table where Louis could unload it all. “How does Nick deal with you when you’re like this?”

Louis shrugged as he shoved a tortilla chip in his mouth. “Usually I just apologize for it with a blow job once I’ve snapped out of it, and then all’s well.”

Harry choked on his spit, not expecting Louis to go there. He didn’t want the visuals right now! His mind was flooding with entirely too sexy images and then he found that he was starting to insert himself into the situation  _ again _ and he really didn’t want Louis laying his head back down to find out how hard he’d gotten just from the thought of a damn blow job.

“No worries, I know that won’t work for you.” 

Harry gave a weak chuckle as he focused on breathing, but he was glad Louis said that. That would entirely work for him, but he would never be okay with being the other woman. 

“Maybe I'll send you home with some food if there’s leftovers. Want some chips?” 

Harry took one and dipped it into the queso blanco that Louis had just found before taking a big bite in an attempt to distract himself. “Okay, so John Mulaney?”

“Yes,” Louis cheered as he picked up the remote again and hit play.

Harry was thankful. He really needed something else to focus on.

*~~***~~*

Harry was woken up by a bright flash of light and someone cursing quietly. Blinking in an attempt to clear his vision, Harry realized he was actually spooning Louis on the couch and the cursing was Nick.

“Did I wake you? Sorry. You two were adorable and I forgot I had the flash on.”

Harry looked around and found the room far darker than he last remembered it being and the TV was turned off. He gingerly tried to pull away from Louis, but Louis just turned over and clung to Harry.

Biting his lip he looked up at Nick in an attempt to apologize. He really should not be cuddling his husband like this, especially when he wasn’t home. That had to cross some sort of boundary somewhere, right? Nick just looked fondly at them as he smiled, though. So, that’s good he guessed.

“Sorry,” Harry apologized as he tried to clear his throat. “He was so tired and wanted attention and said you were busy working.”

“That’s fine, Harry. I didn’t know if you’d still be here since it’s near three, but I knew he was going to call you since he forgot I was working.”

Harry nearly choked at that and immediately sat up, effectively waking up Louis, who whined at the loss of Harry. He’d feel bad for that later, for now he needed to check his phone and make sure his boss wasn’t worried about him since he hadn’t warned them he’d be coming home late tonight.

There was a text from Gayle, but it only said they were going to bed and to enjoy his night, so he sighed in relief.

“God, I had no idea it was so late, I have no idea when we fell asleep.”

“Somewhere in John’s second stand up,” Louis said with a yawn. “You’re like a fucking heater, Harry. I’m always cold but you were nice and toasty.”

“Ooh, is he?” Nick asked, before coming over and shoving onto the couch and wrapping himself around Harry. “God, yes. You really are. That’s amazing.”

Harry chuckled, unsure how he was meant to react. He didn’t mind, but he was still half asleep and unsure what to do with all of this.

“I should probably go,” he said, before he remembered his car was still at Glen Echo. “Fuck.”

“Oh just stay here, we can take you to get your car in the morning.”

Harry sighed. He meant to head out as soon as the worst of the morning drive was past, but now he had to worry about getting across the river to pick up his car, going and getting ready at home and  _ then _ leaving. It threw off his schedule a little, but ultimately he knew his mom wouldn’t mind. Gemma and her husband weren’t going to be joining them until Thanksgiving day anyway.

“Yeah, alright,” he said. “Can I borrow clothes?”

“We’ve got that sleep set in the spare room for you already,” Nick said sleepily. It sounded like he was already losing what energy he had left as he was wrapped around Harry on the sofa. Harry really needed to get these men to bed, because he wasn’t sure they would get off the couch if he didn’t force them. “Washed them and stuck them back in there since we figured you’d probably stay another night again at some point.”

Harry’s chest warmed as he realized the implications of that. They had set aside some of their own clothes for him to use exclusively when he stayed with them. That was so lovely he didn’t even know what to say.

“Thanks,” he finally settled on before making Nick’s increasingly limp form sit up and away from him. As he stood up from the couch, both of them whined a little and Harry chuckled. “Come on, old men. We’ve got to get you to bed now.”

“I don’t like you anymore, Harold,” Louis whined as Harry helped him off the couch before turning to Nick. “You’re very mean and don’t think of my well being when you do things like force me to move to my bedroom for sleep.”

“Yes, I’m the worst,” Harry agreed as he hefted Nick up. “You two can lean on each other and make it the rest of the way. You’re big boys.”

“What if we need help undressing for bed?” Nick asked sleepily over his shoulder. “Could an old man like me convince you to help with that?”

For the second time that night, Harry had to close his eyes and stop himself from imagining so many possibilities. “You certainly could not,” he forced out, sounding a bit strangled. What these men did to him was entirely unfair and unwarranted.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t actually mean it,” Nick said sleepily as he stumbled into Louis. “Sorry, my love.”

“Mmm, you’re fine,” Louis said. “Fuck, I’ve got to be up at four, is it worth going to bed?”

“Yes, of course it is,” Nick said as he wrapped his arm around Louis’ waist. “You need as much sleep as you can get.”

“Yeah, okay,” Louis said with a yawn. “Night, Harry. Thanks for coming. I’ll see you after all this shit is done.”

“Good luck,” Harry said, yawning himself. “Happy Thanksgiving.”

Louis snorted. “Yeah, maybe I can have a turkey sandwich at work to celebrate.”

Wincing, Harry let himself into the spare room and gave a sigh of relief. He really couldn’t handle any other suggestive thoughts from either of them, and they’d been filled with them all night. Combined with the fact he and Louis had actually been spooning on the couch, Harry was dead.

God, Louis had felt so perfect in his arms. He fit perfectly. Then he’d turned around and they’d still slotted so well, despite their knees and arms. Harry always had issues cuddling someone on his side when they were facing him. Something always got kneed or a stray elbow hit someone somewhere. But that hadn’t happened. It had been so smooth and easy to fall into each other like that.

Fuck, he could  _ not _ be doing and thinking this kind of thing about a married man. 

Actually, speaking of, why had Nick taken a photo of them like that? Shouldn’t he have been pissed? Harry probably would have if his husband was found cuddled intimately with a younger man. Yet he’d seemed pleased. Happy. 

Shaking his head to try to rid himself of the thoughts so he could get back to sleep, Harry trod over to the dresser where, in the top drawer, the sleepwear Nick had promised was folded and smelling like their laundry detergent. Harry allowed himself one deep inhale before he stripped down and got dressed.

Then, forcing all thoughts of the beautiful men in the next bedroom over out of his head, Harry climbed into bed and fell asleep easier than he had all week.

*~~***~~*

“Young Harold!” Nick cheered as he threw the door open and pulled Harry into a hug. “I have  _ missed _ you!”

Harry laughed and hugged Nick back. “I’ve missed you too, I guess,” he teased.

“Rude!” Nick cried as he pulled back and went walking back into the house. “Let me grab my shoes and then we can head down. Lou said to apologize again for not being able to make it. He feels awful that he’s got to stay late again.”

“It’s really fine,” Harry said. “I get it. He’s an important man, always in demand.”

“Damn right he is,” Nick said, laughing. “I’m glad I was able to get the night off to take you down for the tree lighting, though. I can’t believe we actually got tickets through the lottery and he can’t even make it.”

“Right?” Harry said with a chuckle. “I was just glad it wasn’t on a night I have to work late so I could come.”

“Me too,” Nick said, smiling at him before he grabbed his coat and shoes. “Okay, let’s go! We want to have a chance at parking and they said we have to be there crazy early to get through security in time for the lighting.”

“What all happens at the lighting?” Harry asked. “I’ve seen photos but don’t actually know what happens at the ceremony.”

“Oh, there’s music and the president will say a few idiotic remarks we don’t care about,” Nick said flippantly as he unlocked his car, “and it’s all well boring. But then they light the tree, and that is incredible.”

Harry smiled and climbed in. He was glad it wasn’t too cold tonight, but still wished it was a tad bit warmer. Then again, it wouldn’t really feel right to be lighting a Christmas tree if it wasn’t at least a little chilly.

“It really does feel like forever since I’ve been able to hang out with you,” Nick said as he pulled onto the beltway and into the nearly perpetual traffic. “How have you been? Lou said you’ve been alright and having fun dancing and such, but I want to hear you tell me yourself.”

Harry laughed. “We’ve been texting almost every day, isn’t that enough? I really haven’t been getting up to anything exciting. Saw a movie with Niall on Sunday. Finished my Christmas shopping last night. That’s about it when it comes to excitement.”

“Fuck, Christmas shopping,” Nick sighed. “My nieces sent me their requests and all of it is for insanely expensive makeup since they know Louis’ sister has connections and I’ve got money. They’re ridiculous, but I love them.” After a pause, Nick cocked his head and said, “Doesn’t mean I’ve done anything about getting them their gifts, but all the same.”

Harry laughed and nodded. “Yeah, no one expects anything fancy from me, so I’m safe in that regard. Plus my family’s pretty small, so that helps as well.”

“God, our family is massive, especially when you put the two of our families together.” Nick sighed and shook his head.

“Oh, I meant to ask you. What do you think Louis would like for his birthday?”

“Aww, that’s so nice of you,” Nick said, glancing at Harry before honking at a car that definitely cut him off. “Fucking diplomats. I hate getting anywhere near a car with a diplomatic plate.”

Harry agreed. He’d been in too many near accidents just in the few months since he’d moved to the city, and he’d heard the warnings from his boss about getting in an accident with a diplomat too. He’d rather avoid that at any cost.

“Anyway, don’t worry about a gift, seriously. He’ll be plenty happy if you come to the party. That’s all we really ask of our friends, you know?”

Harry pursed his lips. “You’re sure?”

Nick nodded. “Absolutely. Especially from you. You’re basically our best friend, you know?”

Harry swallowed harshly. He’d felt that way about them for a few months now, but he never thought it would be reciprocated. They were well established and had such a large and supportive friend group. Harry just assumed that someone else had that position locked down.

“Really?” he asked, quietly. He didn’t want to just assume Nick was serious and learn he was joking later.

“Of course, really!” Nick cried. “We literally spend almost every free minute we have with you.”

Harry took a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah, well you’re my best friends too.”

Nick sent him a soft smile before cursing and slamming on his breaks. “Sorry,” he apologized before maneuvering out of the lane they were in. 

After only a few other near misses, they made it to the tree ceremony and it only took them near an hour to get through security.

“Now what?” Harry asked as he looked around. He’d expected a couple of trees, but it was like an entire tree lot had taken residence where they were standing.

“We look at all the trees, of course,” Nick said, looping his arm through Harry’s. “They’ve each got signs telling us which state or territory they’re from and representing. There’s a lot of them, so hopefully it’ll take us a good amount of time to get through them, and if not there’s always hot chocolate.”

Harry laughed and started perusing the trees with Nick. Harry had always had a deep love for fir trees and all kinds of evergreens. Growing up in Michigan, he’d always loved the smell and look of them. Getting to look through various trees sent from all over the world was very cool. So much more variety than he ever could have imagined.

And through it all, he had Nick making ridiculous quips and silly remarks with actual information and knowledge peppered in as well. Harry had so much fun he didn’t even miss Louis. He felt guilty for having that thought, but he realized he felt the same way when he spent time with Louis without Nick. He enjoyed being with both of them, but he also valued his time one on one with them.

Leaning into Nick as the temperatures dropped, Nick soon wrapped his arm around Harry. 

“I thought you were supposed to be the heater,” Nick teased, rubbing Harry’s arm. “Why am I the one feeling warm tonight and you’re cold?”

Harry shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s just because I release my heat instead of holding it in?”

“Maybe,” Nick said. “I’ll try to keep you warm, though. Can’t have you getting frostbite.”

Harry chuckled knowing that wasn’t likely in this weather, but it was a nice sentiment all the same.

Soon enough, the announcement was made that the ceremony was starting, so they finished the last few trees and wandered over to the crowd. Harry didn’t care they were near the back. The tree was large enough to see without issue, and he really didn’t care for the speaker or musicians. It was such a special energy just to be present for the lighting.

A few carols were sung and he and Nick did their best to tune out the voice of the president when his time came to speak. Then, Harry felt like a kid again as the crowd counted down and as they got to zero the entire area was suddenly lit with the lights of the tree and it was  _ magnificent. _

“Oh wow,” Harry gasped. 

Nick pulled him closer and leaned into him. “I know. It’s so beautiful.”

Harry nodded and found himself tearing up a little. He hadn’t expected to be so struck by something as simple as a tree lighting, but he was. There was something special about being crammed in the space with so many others and seeing the lights go on.

They stood in silence as the crowd sang some more carols along with the choir, and then they turned around and left, having gotten too cold.

“Thank you so much for bringing me,” Harry said, as genuinely as he could. “I never would have thought about coming for this or trying to get tickets before the lottery closed. That was amazing, though.”

“Of course,” Nick said, pulling Harry in close again. “I’m glad I was able to bring you. Now, lets go get some dinner. I’m starving.”

*~~***~~*

“Honey, I’m home!” Harry called cheerfully as he walked in without bothering to knock. He kicked off his shoes and hung his coat up in the closet as he heard Nick and Louis both yell their hellos from upstairs.

“We’ll be right down!” Louis called.

Harry went to the living room and flopped himself down on the couch. They hadn’t decided what they were going to do that night, but they hadn’t really cared. It was the first time all three of them had been available on the same night in over a month, so even though it was a Wednesday and Harry wasn’t available until past nine, they decided to go for it. Harry had brought up the possibility of a game night, but he was too tired. He had no idea how either of them felt, but he truly wasn’t even sure if he would last through a movie. He’d give it a go, though.

“Awwww, Harold!” Nick cooed, ruffling Harry’s hair. “Look at you. Poor tired baby.”

Harry pouted and nodded. “I am very tired.”

“Fuck, me too,” Louis said with a yawn as he came in and sat down by Harry’s feet. “Please tell me you’ve given up on a game night? I swear my brain can’t function well enough tonight for rules and shit.”

“God, no,” Nick agreed as he patted Harry’s arm so he’d scoot over. Once Harry had made room for the two of them beside him on the couch, Nick picked up Harry’s feet and placed them across his and Louis’ laps. They then laid out a blanket and Nick sighed happily. “Ah. There we go. As we always should be.”

Harry smiled and closed his eyes as he relaxed back into the overstuffed couch. He liked that idea. That he was meant to be here with Nick and Louis. It felt right.

“Okay, he’s nearly asleep already. We are definitely doing a movie,” Louis said with a chuckle. “It’s Christmastime, I say we do something on theme.  _ Elf? Family Stone?” _

“Noooo,” Nick whined as he shifted beneath Harry. “We’ve overwatched those, and you know your family will have us watching  _ Elf _ at least three times while we’re visiting.”

“ _ While You Were Sleeping,” _ Harry murmured, opening his eyes enough to see their reactions. “Please? It’s my favorite behind  _ Love Actually _ and I haven’t watched it yet this year.”

“Yes, I like that idea, Young Harold,” Nick cheered. He seemed to be the only one of the three of them with any energy. Harry wondered what that was like. “We haven’t watched that one in ages, and a young Bill Pullman is lovely to look at, don’t you think?”

Louis agreed and soon enough Harry heard the song that he knew was part of the opening credits. He was being serious when he’d suggested it, it really was one of his favorite movies, but because of that he also knew it so well that he was basically watching it play across the back of his eyelids and it didn’t take long for him to actually fall fully asleep.

When he came back to, Harry didn’t hear anything coming from the TV, but he did hear quiet conversation between Nick and Louis.

“I know, I’m always afraid I’m pushing it too far,” Nick said quietly. “I’m trying so hard to be careful, but it feels so natural with him. Even more than with Greg, I think.”

Harry was still groggy, but he was interested too. Greg had been mentioned a few times since he’d first met Nick and Louis and he still didn’t fully understand what had happened with them. And now someone - was it Harry himself? - was being compared to Greg.

“I know. Something about Harry set me at ease right away. But it is hard, like you said. We met him under different circumstances than we did Greg, and he’s so much younger, too. Five years younger than me, just over ten years younger than you. That's pretty significant.”

“Yeah, and we don’t know if he’s like us,” Nick said with a sigh.

Harry’s brain was finally starting to function fully but he still wasn’t understanding. Like them how? They knew quite fully that he was gay. He was like them in that way. It definitely felt like they were referring to something else, though.

“God,” Louis muttered. “Sometimes, though, I do think about it. Don’t you?”

“Yeah. I do. A lot, actually.”

That lead to a long enough silence, that Harry finally worked up the courage to ask the question he’d been wanting answered for awhile now.

“Who’s Greg?” His voice was rough and fairly quiet, but he knew they’d heard him, because Louis gripped his ankle tightly as soon as he spoke and he could feel Nick’s legs tense beneath him.

“I didn’t realize you were awake,” Louis said, still quiet like he had been before.

“I haven’t been for long,” Harry said, shifting and stretching a bit before sitting up so he could see their faces. “But I was for long enough. I’ve been wondering this for awhile, because of the way people talk about him, especially in relation to you, though. You don’t have to talk about him if you don’t want to, but since I’m being compared to him, I would really like you to answer if possible.”

Harry swallowed harshly. That had all come out incredibly well considering how scared he was of the answer. He wasn’t even sure why he was, but the topic felt heavy. Almost taboo. What was he about to learn about the men who had so quickly become his closest friends?

Nick and Louis were both still tense, but neither of them pulled away from him, so he figured that was a good sign. They were having one of their conversations with their eyes, but eventually Nick sighed and turned to Harry.

“We need some tea. This could be a long conversation.”

Gently moving Harry’s legs off his lap, Nick stood up and Louis did as well.

“Come on, let’s go to the kitchen table where we can see each other easier.”

“Fuck, you didn’t kill him or anything, did you?” Harry asked with a nervous chuckle. He knew Greg was living across the country, but the way Nick and Louis were acting it felt about as big and bad as all that. 

Snorting, Nick said, “Of course not. We just broke up mutually so he could chase after his professional dreams that required his presence in LA.”

Harry froze once he sat down into the chair, Nick casually saying,  _ broke up mutually _ repeating through his head.

“Broke up?” Harry asked slowly. “I thought he only moved last year or something?”

Louis was sitting across from Harry and he had his hands clasped on top of the table, his head hanging a little as he studied them. Finally, Louis looked up and met Harry’s curious gaze.

“Yeah, see, Nick and I? We’re polyamorous.” 

Louis said it with such finality and assurance, but Harry didn’t fully understand what that meant. With Louis’ eyes unwavering on his, Harry gave him a shrug.

“I’m not sure I understand. What’s polyamorous?”

“It’s when people desire more than one partner,” Nick said as he came in from the kitchen. “I mean, it’s more than just that, but if you want a basic definition that’s it, essentially.”

As Nick set down the mugs, Louis and Harry gave their thanks before Louis continued.

“We didn’t actually know this about ourselves when we got married. Nick had heard of it and wondered, but he wasn’t really  _ sure _ and he hadn’t ever imagined he’d find someone else like him. And as for me? Well…” Louis looked at Nick fondly and smiled. “Let’s just say I thought it was just a dirty little kink that might allow us to have threesomes sometimes until I learned better.”

Nick chuckled and the two of them were in their own little bubble it seemed, but for Harry it felt like the floor had just fallen out.

Polyamory. It was a  _ thing. _ His mind was swirling with questions that he wasn’t sure he could get out because he honestly was feeling a little sick. Not because the idea disgusted him. No, it was the opposite really. He felt sick because it was like he had finally discovered something that maybe described him and his feelings. Those desires he’d always thought were gross, disgusting. Broken. Something to be ashamed of and hidden away. Maybe… God. Just the possibility was overwhelming.

“Harry?” Louis asked softly. “You okay? You look a little pale.”

Harry nodded his head too quickly and felt a little dizzy before forcing himself to take a sip of the tea Nick had made just to his liking. 

“Yeah, I’m just. This is a lot.”

Grimacing, Louis said, “Yeah, I know. Sorry. We didn’t mean to keep it a secret or anything, but most people don’t actually handle it well. Are you… handling it alright?”

“It’s okay if you’re not,” Nick said, stiffly. Harry whipped his head over to look at the man who had obviously put up his guard for Harry. “We’ve had others react poorly before. If you don’t think this is okay or it’s wrong or whatever you can just leave and we promise we’ll never reach out to you again.”

“No,” Harry finally shouted, rushing to put his hand out towards Nick so quickly to appease him that he forgot he was holding a mug of hot tea. It sloshed over the sides and made him hiss a little in pain but that didn’t matter. Not in the least bit. “No, that’s not it at all. It’s just… I never knew something like this existed and it’s scary and exciting but also kind of… relieving if I’m honest.”

Harry hadn’t even realized that Louis had stood up until he was pressing paper towels to Harry’s hand and the spilled tea on the table.

“Relieving how, if it’s okay that I ask?” Louis said gently. Warily. Harry didn’t want him to feel wary either.

Shrugging but no longer able to hold eye contact with either of them, Harry bit his lip and studied his mug again. “I just thought I was broken or something. Thought I wanted things that weren’t okay. But maybe it is.”

There was silence before Nick finally said, “Harry, I don’t want to misunderstand you right now, so I’m sorry to make you repeat yourself, but can you please explain that again?”

Harry scrunched his eyes closed and tried to figure out how the hell he was supposed to put this into words without giving away the fact he’d been fantasizing and dreaming about being in a relationship with the two of them for the past few months without even realizing that was a thing that some people do. That  _ they _ do. Of course it didn’t mean they’d want that kind of a relationship with him, but the possibility was there now and that was something he had never even known existed.

“I’ve been in love with two people at once before,” Harry said with a shrug. “I didn’t mean to, I just didn’t know which one I liked better and nothing was exclusive with them, but I just wanted to try to figure things out. It got… messy and I broke up with both of them because I couldn’t choose at the end. It’s always kinda been like that.”

Nick and Louis both were quiet, so Harry continued. He figured he might as well since they’d been comparing him to Greg, their  _ ex-boyfriend, _ earlier. They had been expressing their desire to be with him in a relationship as well, right? So he might as well share that part of his desires too.

“I was always drawn to the idea of more than one person as a partner, but I didn’t understand it. I guess I kind of thought it was a kink thing at first, like Louis did. Maybe it was just for sex. But then I got to know both of you, and I couldn’t help it. I felt awful, basically wanting two married men, but I couldn’t help it. I knew it was more than just physical attraction with you two. I felt connected to you on a deeper level and knew it was more, but tried telling myself it was just friendship. Just…  _ something.” _

The three of them were quiet for long enough after that, that Harry’s racing heart was making him feel sick again, but this time with nerves. Fuck. That was what they’d been talking about earlier, right? Oh shit, Harry had misunderstood. He’d fucked up. What if it wasn’t what they’d meant? Now he’d gone and made a fool of himself and shown that his youth was obviously overly-assumptive and he’d have to leave never to return.

“Are you saying…” Nick’s voice cracked a little and that made Harry finally decide to look up from the table for the first time in several minutes. Nick was rubbing his face with his hand and Louis was watching both of them with a look of wonder. “Harry. Are you saying that you might not only be polyamorous, but you might be interested in possibly broaching a relationship with the two of us?”

Now both of their eyes were on him, and Harry wasn’t sure he could breathe. Instead of saying anything, he just nodded.

“Oh my God,” Louis said with a smile before he covered his mouth with the back of his hand. “I never imagined…”

“Me neither,” Nick said, sounding breathless. 

The two of them studied each other before it seemed like something clicked in Louis’ head and he turned back to Harry looking serious.

“This is a big thing though, Harry.” Louis studied him with his eyebrows raised, holding his hand across the table. Harry grasped it in his own and Louis squeezed his fingers gently. “This is something you really need to think about. You  _ just _ learned that polyamory even exists. I don’t think this is something you can just jump right into. Nick and I took over a year to decide if it was something we were truly going to pursue. I’m not saying you have to take a year, but it is a big decision. Something not a lot of people understand or accept. You have to really figure out if this is the right situation for you.”

“And, even though I’m pretty sure we’re on the same page here as well, Louis and I need to figure out if we think it’s the right step for us as well,” Nick said.

Harry nodded. Everything they’d just said made absolute sense. This was a lot. He felt overwhelmed. “Yeah, definitely.”

Louis nodded again and Nick asked, “Well, you leave for home this weekend, right?”

“Yeah,” Harry said with a soft smile. “The kids finish school on Friday and the family leaves to go out of town on Monday, so I’m leaving for home on Saturday and I’ll be back in a few weeks.”

“Do you know when?”

“I’ve got two weeks off,” Harry said. “I’ll be back a couple days before New Year’s.”

“Think you might have a decision by then?” Nick asked. “It’s okay if you won’t. You can take as much time as you want. We want to make sure  _ you’re _ sure before we really go further, you know?”

Harry nodded. “Yeah. I think so. I’ll let you know if I need more time, though.”

They sat in silence around the table, smiling softly at each other and Harry felt… excited. There was so much possibility that he never even dreamed was there.

Harry’s phone vibrated in his pocket and he jumped. Pulling it out, he saw it was Gayle checking in to say goodnight and it was only then he saw it was past midnight.

“Shit, I’ve got to get going,” Harry said. As he stood, he looked at Nick and Louis and asked, “Can I still text you guys over the break? Even as I’m thinking about things?”

Nick and Louis glanced at each other before turning to Harry. 

“I think that would be okay,” Louis said slowly, watching Nick to be sure he was saying the right thing, “but don’t let us distract you either, okay?”

“Yeah, if we start making it harder for you to figure it all out, then tell us and we’ll keep to ourselves. We’ll be busy with family just like you will be too, you know.”

Harry nodded. “Yeah. Thanks.”

Once he had his shoes and coat on, he turned and knew he couldn’t leave without his usual hugs. 

“Thank you. For sharing all of that with me.”

Louis chuckled. “Thanks for forcing it out of us.”

“Yeah, God knows we never would have done anything otherwise.”

Harry pulled back and looked at Nick. He knew Nick was trying to play it off, but Harry could see the nerves he was carrying. 

“I’m sorry,” Harry said. “People can be awful, but I know you’re not like that and so do you.”

“Stop it,” Nick said, pushing Harry’s shoulder. “I hate all these feelings talks and everything, and now you’re just taking this too far. Go. Get out of here before someone starts crying, okay?”

Harry smiled again and waved. “Yeah. Bye. Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday, Louis.”

As Harry trudged to his car, he was happy there wasn’t any frost on it from his time at their house. He didn’t really want to have to worry about scraping it while they waited for him to safely be on his way. He wanted to be alone with his thoughts to fully digest everything that had been discussed tonight.

*~~***~~*

Harry barely slept that night or the night after. It didn’t matter for now, though. He was so fuelled by an almost manic energy over the fact that even if they didn’t pursue a relationship, he’d found more people  _ like him. _ There was a name for the feelings he had. The confusion and frustration that had always revolved around his relationships finally felt like they had led to answers he’d been seeking without realizing it for years now.

Waving goodbye to Emily as she walked up to her elementary school on this unseasonably warm day in December, Harry waited for her to make it to the doors before he turned around and started walking back to the house. Pulling out his phone, he tapped into the group chat with Nick and Louis.

_ Harry: What is it even called when three people enter a relationship together? _ _   
_ _ Harry: And what does dating look like? Is it just like… a bunch of group dates or what? _

He’d spent the last few days thinking a lot about everything Nick and Louis had said Tuesday night, and now that it was Friday he was ready to ask some questions. 

Harry was mostly curious about logistics. He knew what dating two different people at the same time was like when you weren’t exclusive, but he had no idea what it was like when it was the three people all together. He was intrigued and incredibly excited to even try to imagine it. 

Imagining what it would be like and how it might feel was a big part of Harry making decisions. It was always while he was thinking about possibilities for the future that he felt even more excited and knew it was the right choice for him, or he felt that really sick feeling in the pit of his stomach that he also got whenever he disappointed his mom. Without being able to visualize at least part of this potential future with Louis and Nick together, he had no idea what he was to do with himself. 

_ Nick: The hell are you doing up at this hour on a Friday, Styles? _

Harry chuckled and pulled his beanie down a little further. It was warmer than he’d expected for this time of year, but when the wind picked up it still made his nose burn a little. He was afraid his ears were just numb by this point.

_ Harry: Had to get the kids to school like a good nanny, didn’t I? Besides, your husband has been up for hours at this point. Don’t go acting surprised when you’re one of the lucky ones sleeping in _

Shoving his hands back in his pockets, Harry shivered again. It felt like the temperature was actually dropping. If it was, he’d have to go pick up Emily from the school in the car this afternoon. At least Bri’s bus stop was just at the end of the court, so she’d still be able to walk home from the bus.

Feeling his phone vibrate with some messages again, Harry picked up his pace so he could just read the messages from the warmth of the house. He had more spare time today than he usually did on a Friday since he didn’t need to do the weekly shopping like usual. He just needed to finish up laundry, prepare for dinner, and then get his things packed for his own holiday trip.

Closing and locking the door behind him, Harry basked in the warmth of the house as he took off his layers. Next time he went out he’d have to wear his actual winter coat. Pulling out his phone before he headed upstairs to get the dirty laundry, Harry smiled when he saw both Nick and Louis responded this time.

_ Louis: I’m going to have to mute this while I’m working, aren’t I? _ _   
_ _ Louis: It varies depending on what people prefer. Some call it a thruple or a trio, but we prefer triad. _

_ Nick: How dare you even mention thruple. You know it makes me shiver in disgust even having to think of the word. _

_ Louis: Your aversion to that particular term makes no sense, I’m not going to cater to your ridiculous opinions when they’re as unfounded as your hatred of Ohio State _

Snorting, Harry shook his head. At least they’d answered his first question. But wait… the term triad got Harry thinking. It felt familiar for some reason and he wasn’t really sure why.

_ Harry: Okay, calm yourselves. Triad it is. But what about the dating? _

Harry shoved the phone into his pocket and filled his basket with the clothes before taking them downstairs to the laundry room and separating them into the various loads he’d need to do today. Luckily he did a good job of keeping on top of everything so it looked like he’d only need to do two.

_ Louis: Nicholas, please answer this lovely gentleman’s questions while I get back to doing my actual job _

Harry could practically hear Louis saying that in his ridiculously sounding fake posh voice he sometimes put on when he wanted to be especially annoying. Giving Nick enough time to answer, Harry finished getting the first load of laundry started and walked back into the kitchen to remind himself what Gayle had said they were planning for dinner.

_ Happy Friday, Harry! Both Barry and I are hoping to get off work early if everything cooperates, but just in case we can’t, still plan on getting the kids yourself. We’re going to go ahead and order some pizza tonight, so don’t worry about dinner! We’ll see you later today, Gayle _

Not having dinner to prepare gave him even more time to relax and get his own things done. That was a pleasant surprise. He pocketed his paycheck and headed down to his room in the basement to start packing while watching some of his favorite  _ West Wing _ episodes while also texting with Nick and Louis some more.

_ Nick: Okay okay, so dating. It varies a little in each relationship I think because the people are different, but generally speaking it’s all about making sure we have a relationship with each other as a whole as well as separately. We’re only as strong together as we are in our individual relationships. The way we worked that with Greg is we would have date nights set aside for all of us individually as well as the three of us together to ensure we were cultivating that and not neglecting anyone in any way.  _ __   
_ Nick: If we go for this, then we’d talk about it and figure out what works best for all of us, but I’d imagine it would be similar. You and I would have our alone nights as would you and Lou and then of course me and Lou as well. We’d still make sure to spend time with the three of us all together as well, though.  _ _   
_ __ Nick: Fuck this is too long and serious for texting, what are you youngsters doing to me?

Harry laughed and leaned back into the many pillows on his bed. 

_ Harry: I can always call you if you’d prefer to chat while I’m packing _

It didn’t take long for his phone to start vibrating while his screen filled with a ridiculous photo of Nick scrunching his nose at Harry in annoyance. Harry loved that photo so much and it never  _ didn’t _ annoy Nick when he saw it.

“That didn’t take long,” Harry teased as he paused his show. Nick was even better than watching Leo going on a rampage for the fiftieth time.

“Fuck off, I was planning to sleep in after having gigs almost every night this week, but instead between you and the ridiculous man I’m married to I’ve been lying awake for at least two hours now,” Nick complainted. Harry could tell he didn’t really mean it, though. “Honestly, Harry, why did you think that was a good conversation to have over text?”

Placing the phone on his dresser and putting Nick on speaker, Harry shrugged and said, “Every conversation is good over text.”

“God, what is happening to this generation?”

“May I remind you, we’re actually the same generation,” Harry pointed out as he opened his suitcase.

“We’re barely both adults,” Nick said chuckling. “Forgive me for forgetting we’re the same fucking generation. Anyway. Dating. Do you have more questions about that?”

Harry opened a drawer and started tossing clothes in while he thought some more. “Not really. What you said made sense. And it would be kind of nice to get that time with each of you alone regularly as well as together, I think.”

“Yeah, me too,” Nick said quietly. “Really, dating in a triad is the same as dating one person. You try various things and learn what works for you as you go along is all.”

Hearing Nick say triad out loud finally jarred Harry’s memory enough that he realized why it was niggling at him earlier, and he nearly gasped when he realized.

“Oh my  _ God,”  _ Harry said loudly with some laughter. “Oh my God, triads!”

“Yeeeesssss,” Nick drawled out, obviously confused. “What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours?”

“The Halloween party!” Harry cried, pointing at his phone from where he was standing beside his suitcase. “Everyone kept commenting about it being a triad costume, but you and Lou kept correcting them about it being a group costume and I was so drunk and confused I didn’t understand it, but everyone already thought we were dating!”

“Oh God.” Nick started nervously laughing and Harry heard some static that made him wonder if he was shifting to run his hand through his hair like he did when he wasn’t entirely comfortable. “Yeah… they kinda did. That was really our own fault, we should have thought of it.”

“You just let me be confused instead of telling me,” Harry said, suddenly not feeling so triumphant over figuring it out now. He felt more hurt that they’d keep something that ended up being so important for him, for  _ them,  _ from him when he could have learned about it so much earlier.

“I’m sorry, Harry,” Nick said in a soothing and calming voice. “We didn’t mean to hurt you at all or anything, we just didn’t know how you’d take it and we didn’t want to scare you off with the fact people were assuming that about us. About you.”

Taking a deep breath, Harry tried to let go of the little bit of hurt. They did eventually come clean to him when he asked them about it, which helped a little. Besides, he knew how scary it could be to come out to people, especially those he cared about. It made sense they could worry about how he’d take the news. It was something he himself very well would be having to deal with at some point, whether he decided to try dating Nick and Louis or it was a different combination in the future.

“It’s okay,” Harry said, trying to lighten his tone so Nick knew he was serious. “I get it.”

Nick hummed and then Harry heard more rustling as he continued throwing clothes into his suitcase. “Have any other questions as of right now?”

Harry pursed his lips as he thought further. “No. I don’t think so. At least not yet.”

“Okay, love. Well, let us know if you think of any others, okay?”

Harry felt giddy and excited hearing Nick call him a pet name and knowing there was actual intention behind it now. 

“Yeah. Okay.”

“I’m going to actually get my ass out of bed now and be a productive member of society, so have a good rest of your day. I’m sure we’ll talk more later.”

“Yeah,” Harry said with a laugh. “Later.”

They hung up and after letting the silence ring for a minute or two, Harry turned  _ the West Wing  _ on and focused as much as he could on packing. He’d have a ten hour drive tomorrow to think further about everything they’d just discussed. 

*~~***~~*

“Harry, if you’re not going to pay attention then go ahead and excuse yourself so the rest of us can play the game without having to constantly remind you it’s your turn.”

Harry’s head flew up, eyes wide, and he looked guiltily at his mom. “Sorryyyyy,” he said as apologetically as he could manage before standing up and passing off his hand to Gemma, the dealer for this round of cards. “I’ll join in later, I promise.”

Gemma narrowed her eyes at him as if she didn’t believe him and honestly she… might be right not to. He’d been distracted with texting Nick and Louis the entire day since they were waiting for flights and had been delayed three times now. He hadn’t meant to ignore the family that had already started gathering even though Christmas was still a couple of days away. He just couldn’t bring himself to ignore his phone when he knew that Nick and Louis were there wanting his attention as much as he craved theirs.

Maybe that alone was answer enough for him. 

Harry had willingly entered into a very lengthy and deep self introspection when he started his drive. He played music that he barely paid any attention to and was lucky he was paying close enough attention to use the exits he needed to get home and remind himself to stop for gas at regular intervals.

He knew, deep down, after doing more research that polyamorous was definitely how he identified. Every time he opened something else with someone talking about their experiences and how they understand it, there was something about it that just felt right. Like he finally belonged and was understood.

The biggest question for him now was whether he was ready to jump into a polyamorous relationship. He knew he wanted to, but was he really, truly ready for it? And if he was, would he keep quiet about it for awhile? Would he tell his family right away? God, how would his family take it? They’d been so understanding and welcoming when he’d come out to them before, but this felt different somehow. Like there was something taboo about admitting to the desire for polyamory, much less acting upon it.

But did something being taboo ever cause him to avoid it in the past? Of course not. If anything, that had often been cause for him to go after it with even more fervor in an attempt to break down those walls. Why should this be any different?

Chuckling to himself, Harry threw himself onto his bed. It felt incredibly different this time because it was so personal to him. It was an intrinsic part of him that he couldn’t change, and opening up about it scared the shit out of him far more than being open about being gay ever did.

His phone vibrated a few more times, and he glanced over at it. 

_ Nick: Thank fuck we are finally boarding! _

_ Louis: Ohio here we come! _

_ Nick: We’ll see if we have WiFi this flight, but if not then we’ll talk to you in an hour or so. xxxxxxx _

Harry unlocked his phone and sent a quick slew of kiss and hug emojis and then locked his phone. Assuming they didn’t have WiFi, that actually meant he could go back down with his family and finish playing. He was sure he would have only missed one round, maybe two, of the game.

Just as he decided to rejoin them, there was a soft knock at his door and Gemma poked her head in.

“Oh good, you’re decent,” she said before coming in the rest of the way and closing the door behind her. She walked towards the bed and flopped herself down beside Harry before she turned her head back to him and said, “Okay, so tell me about him because I  _ have _ to know.”

Shit. Fuck. What was he meant to say now? He couldn’t very well tell her everything. Could he?

Actually, the more he thought about it, the more he wondered if she wasn’t the perfect one to float the idea past to get an idea of how it would go down with everyone else.

“Well, it’s kinda complicated, actually,” Harry finally settled on. He studied her face, which she’d flattened out to make sure he saw how unimpressed she was, and laughed. “What?”

“You’re not getting away with that. I was ahead and couldn’t stop myself from leaving that so I could come and question you. You’ve been glued to your phone since you arrived. Now what is going on?”

Harry sat up and scrunched his nose. “It really, seriously is complicated,” Harry continued. “If you want me to tell you everything, you have to promise you won’t freak out on me until I’ve said everything.”

Gemma’s eyes got icy. “He’s not married, is he?”

Harry opened his mouth to respond, but how was he meant to reply to that? “Uh, well…”

“Oh my God, Harry Edward Styles!” Gemma shot up and immediately started punching him. “What the hell? You can’t just go fucking a married man!”

“Ow, hey!” Harry cried out as he tried to dodge her punches while he deflected what he could. “I told you not to freak out until you heard it all!”

“And I don’t make exceptions for fucking cheaters!”

“It’s not cheating if both of them are part of it!” Harry said as he fell over in an attempt to get further away from her.

At least it stopped her onslaught. “What?”

Sighing, Harry uncovered his face and looked at his sister. “First of all, I haven’t fucked either of them. We haven’t actually started anything yet, we’re only talking about it, but I think I’m going to. Second, they’re married to each other, but they’re polyamorous. I’d be with both of them.”

“I… am not sure I’m following. It’d be like polygamy or whatever? Or would you just be a fucktoy for them?”

“No, not polygamy cause that’s illegal and different. That’s where a husband has multiple wives. And I wouldn’t just be a ‘fucktoy’, God. I’d be their boyfriend, like,  _ both _ of theirs, and they’d still be married to each other.”

Gemma blinked slowly at him. “You move to the big city and get involved in the craziest shit, Harry. What the hell? Couldn’t you just date someone single like the rest of us?”

Shaking his head, Harry covered his face and took a deep breath. He was seriously regretting saying anything to her at all. “You know what? Never mind. This was a bad idea to talk to you about any of this. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“Hey hey hey, no, wait,” Gemma said quickly, reaching out for Harry’s arm and pulling hard enough that he couldn’t stand from the bed. He seriously wished she’d just let him go, though. At this point he wanted to be anywhere but here. “I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry. I was just really thrown by that. It wasn’t anything like I was expecting. But maybe explain to me what polyamory is and why this is something you want to even try, yeah?”

Turning to look her in the eye and see if she was serious, Harry bit his lip. She looked serious and repentant for how she handled it, so he figured she was worth one more try. 

“If you act like you did before, that’s it. No more chances. I’m serious and you’re the first one I’ve talked to about any of this, like not even really them yet, so you have to respect that this is really hard for me, okay?”

Gemma nodded and crossed her heart with her finger. “Promise.”

Closing his eyes, Harry nodded and tried to figure out where to begin. 

*~~***~~*

After his experience with Gemma, Harry knew he wasn’t ready to come out about this to the rest of his family. It hadn’t gone poorly exactly, but it was incredibly hard for Harry, so he figured maybe he’d be ready to open up about it to the rest of them later. She’d eventually come around and said she was supportive of it as long as he was happy. She still admitted that she wasn’t sure she would ever understand. It was the best he could hope for at this point, but that also scared him a little bit. He’d talk with Nick and Louis about it more, but one good thing had come out of his conversation with her. It had him feeling incredibly sure about wanting to try to make a relationship with Nick and Louis work. He was ready to try if they were.

He hadn’t been able to keep in touch with them much since Louis’ birthday because the reception at Louis’ mom’s place wasn’t very good and the day after Christmas Harry’s family went to a cabin where there wasn’t any reception at all.

Now, he was finally returning to DC and the plan was for him to spend New Year’s Eve with Louis while Nick worked, but he didn’t want to wait until then to talk about it.

He barely waited until the car was parked before he opened up the group text and sent a simple message.

_ Harry: I’m home! _

Climbing out of the car, he made quick work of getting his bag from the trunk and into the house. Cold - real, actual cold - had finally descended here and he didn’t want to stay outside in it for longer than he had to.

The house was quiet, just as he expected it to be. The family wouldn’t be returning for a few more days when an unexpected death in their family caused them to extend their stay in New York. It was unfortunate for them, but Harry couldn’t say he minded a few more days off work, especially if it meant that he’d have that time to spend with Louis and Nick while they also finally had a few shared days off work after the craziness of the Christmas season.

_ Louis: Excellent news! Coming by tonight or do we have to wait? _

Biting his lip, Harry tried to figure out what was best. Should they try to talk it all out over the phone? He felt a little safer that way. Maybe they’d decided they didn’t want to pursue anything with him more than just friendship. If they did, he’d want the time alone to process and come to terms with the rejection. 

But if they didn’t…

_ Harry: I literally just got back and haven’t showered or anything after ten hours in a car… _

Harry carted the suitcase down the stairs and had just gotten to his room when his phone vibrated again.

_ Louis: So? Shower and come over when you’re done. Dinner can be here by then. Whatcha say? _

Rolling his eyes at himself and how little it really would take to convince him to spend time with Louis or Nick, he sent a quick reply and headed to the bathroom to shower.

_ Harry: Fine. I’ll be there in 45. _

It was more like an hour by the time he made it, but he also knew Louis probably planned for it. Harry tried his best to be on time, but he rarely actually was. 

When he pulled into the driveway, he saw the food delivery guy jogging back to his car and Louis stood at the door holding two paper bags. He saw the logo of the Indian place that was close enough to deliver, and got excited. He’d quickly become obsessed with Indian food after being introduced, and he’d missed it while visiting his family.

“Just in time, young Harold,” Louis teased. “Get inside before the food and I both freeze.”

Harry smirked at Louis as he walked in and closed the door behind him. Louis had barely moved to allow Harry the space, and they were now incredibly close to each other. Harry wanted to go further into Louis, back him up until he was pressed against the wall of the entryway, and bracket him in until they were breathing the same air. 

He almost did it, but wasn’t sure what was allowed and what wasn’t or what pace they’d go at, and that was only if Louis and Nick agreed to trying with him.

God, Harry hoped they would. It was all he’d been able to think of the entire drive back.

“What?” Louis finally asked, and that was what made Harry realize he was still standing in the entryway, staring at Louis.

“Just really missed you,” he said quietly.

Louis’ face melted into something soft, almost fond, before nodding towards the kitchen. “Come on, love. Let me put the food down, then I can give you a good hug.”

Harry nodded and quickly got to work removing his layers. Skidding on his socks into the kitchen, Harry practically swooped into Louis before he was able to wrap his arms around the man and pull him in close to him. He could smell Louis’ expensive cologne and it looked like he had even more silver hair appear during the past two weeks Harry hadn’t seen him. He’d missed Louis so fucking much.

“Hey, you,” Louis said softly into Harry’s neck. 

“Hey,” Harry said back. “Think we should wait to talk about everything until Nick’s home or can we talk now and fill him in later?”

Louis hummed. “He said if you were able to come over before he was able to join that we could talk about it. But that’s only if you’re comfortable.”

Harry nodded. “I feel like I might die if I don’t know soon. I’m not really good at waiting.”

Louis laughed. “God, me neither. Nick pretty much had to give me permission because he knew it would probably happen anyway.”

Pulling back, Louis bit his lip and studied Harry’s face. 

“I’m in,” Harry practically spit out. He figured he might as well go all in, and he could run with his tail between his legs if necessary. But based on how Louis had clung to him just then, he didn’t think it would be bad. “If you two are in, then I am too. I want to give this a try with you two, because I’m pretty sure I’m already halfway in love.”

Harry’s heart raced and he widened his eyes in shock at what he’d just said. 

“Oh my God, I didn’t mean to say that already, I know it is way too soon, especially since I don’t even know if you two want to try for it and all and-”

“Fuck,” Louis interrupted before he surged forward and pulled Harry in for a quick, hard kiss. “Yes, Harry. We’re in. We love you, too. Think we have for awhile, now.”

Harry nodded, smiling so wide that he knew trying for another kiss was pointless, but he leaned in again anyway. Just as expected, it was a ridiculous mix of too tight lips and teeth, but it just made him laugh and pull Louis into a hug.

“You’re gonna need to walk me through this,” Harry said as they rocked back and forth gently in the kitchen. He wanted to see Louis’ face, but he also couldn’t bring himself to pull away far enough to do just that, so he kept talking instead. “I don’t know what pace you want to go at and what is allowed or accepted or whatever when the other isn’t around and all that. I want to make sure I don’t mess this up.”

“We’re more than willing to do that, H,” Louis said, and Harry could hear his smile. “Happy to, really.”

As they continued to hug tightly in the kitchen, Harry basked in the feeling of warmth and acceptance and love that was so effusive he wondered if he opened his eyes if he could see it in the air.

“When’s Nick home tonight?” Harry asked.

“It’ll just be another hour or so. He had the early shift tonight and he said he wouldn’t stay for the rest.”

“Good. I want my boys.”

“Fuck, yes,” Louis murmured before pressing another kiss to Harry’s neck and making him shiver. “Both of my boys.”

That finally made Harry pull back and look at Louis. His eyes were shining brighter than Harry had ever seen, and the crinkles beside them were so deep, Harry wanted to kiss them.

So he did. Louis breathed in deeply as Harry pressed soft, tender kisses to the lines that marked a happy life led so far, and Harry promised himself he would do everything he could to help Louis remain happy.

Louis remained still when Harry pulled away again, and that made Harry nervous.

“Was that okay?” he asked, suddenly worried he’d overstepped some bounds. They’d kissed on the mouth, and Louis had kissed his neck, but he didn’t really know what was and wasn’t okay just yet. 

“Yeah, more than,” Louis said, smiling at him. “But, as happy as this makes me, I really am fucking starving, and if you’re okay with it, I’d like to text Nick.”

Harry laughed and turned to the kitchen table. “Yeah, that’d be great. So, what’d you get for us?”

It felt like he’d only just gotten comfortable on the couch after finishing dinner when Harry heard the front door open.

“Hey, love,” Louis called out and squeezed Harry where his arm was wrapped around his waist. “We’re in the living room.”

Harry leaned his head back on the couch so he could watch Nick walk into the room. His eyes lit up and his over-large smile spread across his face. Harry loved that face. It meant Nick was truly happy.

After walking around the couch, Nick batted Louis’ hands away before then straddling Harry’s lap and wrapping his arms around Harry’s neck. 

Chuckling, Harry pulled Nick in further by the waist and tucked his face into his neck. 

“You’re back,” Nick said happily. “And you’re ours.”

Harry nodded. “Yeah.”

“Nicholas, are you hungry as well or are you becoming a permanent koala for the night?” Louis asked, a teasing tone in his voice. Harry turned from Nick so he could smile at Louis, who looked even happier than he had earlier, if that was possible.

“Might just be a koala,” Nick mumbled, relaxing even further into Harry’s embrace. “I’m beyond exhausted and I have two gigs tomorrow night.” 

Harry could feel as Nick froze, his entire body tensing. 

“What?” Harry asked as Nick pulled back from him.

“Are you staying tonight? No pressure for anything, but it’s already late and I’m tired, but there’s a lot to talk about and-”

“Yeah, I can stay tonight,” Harry interrupted. 

Nick leaned in and kissed Harry gently, and Harry marvelled at how lucky he was. How right it all felt. The way Nick kissed him was so completely different from how Louis had earlier, but it was just as effective at getting his heart racing.

“Good. Sleep with us?” Nick asked.

Harry’s veins had run cold then immediately hot in reaction to Nick’s words.

“No no,” Nick hurried to correct. He probably read Harry’s thoughts on his face. “Like, just sleeping. Cuddling. That’s it until we talk further, yeah?”

Nick rubbed Harry’s arms and Louis leaned over to press a kiss to his shoulder. Both of their actions along with Nick’s words helped Harry relax back to as he was before. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to  _ sleep _ with them, but he really did want to have a much more thorough discussion with them. He needed to take things slow, adjust to everything, before taking that step. He was glad they understood.

“Yeah, I’ll stay.” With that, Harry let out a yawn.

“Both of you are beyond tired, and honestly I’m not far behind. Let’s pack up the rest of dinner and get to bed,” Louis suggested before standing up and starting to pick up what remained of their earlier feast.

Leaning in for one more kiss, Nick smiled at Harry and then climbed off his lap. “Come on, young Harold. Let’s help Lou get this in the fridge.”

*~~***~~*

_ Six Months Later _

“Hey! I’ve got news! Come downstairs!” Harry yelled as he barged through the front door. He kicked off his flip flops and raced towards where he heard the water running in the kitchen.

“Where’s the fire?” Louis teased from where he was washing dishes as Nick stood by the stove. Whatever they were making for dinner smelled delicious.

“Here,” Harry said, waving a paper around. “The fire’s here.”

Louis blinked at Harry in obvious confusion before turning off the faucet and drying his hands on a towel. “I’m not following, and I can guarantee you dickhead over there doesn’t either.”

“I made  _ one _ comment about pineapple on pizza and I’m not sure he’ll let me in the bedroom for a week,” Nick grumbled. “I’m in the active cooking phase of this soup, so you’ll have to know I’m listening even if I can’t look at you at the moment.”

Nodding in understanding, Harry walked over to the island and leaned against it, looking right at Louis. “So, you know how my nanny contract is up in August and I’m not renewing?”

Something changed in Louis’ eyes when Harry said that. He wasn’t sure what it was exactly, but he knew the subject was one they’d all been avoiding since they didn’t really know what the future might hold for all of them and their relationship until Harry could figure out his own plans.

“Yeah,” Louis said tentatively. 

“Well, I’ve been thinking,” Harry said, tilting his head and smiling coyly. “For awhile, actually. Like, since last September. Even earlier, really.”

“Thinking about what?” Nick asked from the stove as he dumped in bowls of what looked to be carrots and spinach. “Come on, Harold. We aren’t exactly patient men.”

“Okay, fine,” Harry said, rolling his eyes. “I had been wondering for a little bit if I should get my masters, and I’ve decided to go for it. When I moved here and immediately started exploring I knew that if possible I would love to stay in the metro area. So I am.”

That made Louis’ eyebrows rise and his expression definitely turned hopeful. “You are?”

Waving the paper around, Harry said, “I got an email earlier today. I’d been waitlisted, so I didn’t think it was likely and was trying to figure out back up plans. But today I got an email from George Mason saying I’ve been accepted into their Art Education program. I start in August.”

Louis looked like he was breathing heavily, but he also wasn’t saying anything. Neither was Nick, who kept stirring at the stove. This wasn’t exactly the reaction he was hoping for.

“So… assuming I can find a place to live, I’m staying in the area? Ta-da?” Harry said slowly, waving his hands in the air a little.

“Thank God,” Louis said, his voice rough. He rushed around the island and pulled Harry into him, squeezing so tight it almost hurt. “I was so sure you were going to be telling us you were leaving.”

“No,” Harry assured as he kissed Louis’ temple, squeezing him just as hard back. “You’re not getting rid of me anytime soon.”

As soon as Harry said that, Louis pulled him down into a fierce and filthy kiss. It set everything within Harry on fire. If this was how Louis reacted to news like Harry was staying in town, he’d have to find a way to surprise him more often.

“Hey, get a room. I’m cooking, here, and that’s inappropriate!” Nick said, throwing a piece of onion at them.

Louis pulled back and laughed a little before guiding Harry back towards their room. “Join us soon as you’re done?” Louis asked, wagging his eyebrows at Nick before turning his nearly ravenous gaze back to Harry.

“Of course I am! I’m almost done. Now go get naked!” Nick shooed. 

Harry tried his best not to trip over his feet as he laughed due to Louis suddenly pulling him faster than he already had been. 

“Someone’s excited,” Harry teased. He was too. It had been awhile since the three of them had been able to spend some intimate time together like this. 

“Shut up. My boyfriend just told me he isn’t leaving at the end of the summer after all. It’s something to celebrate, okay?”

Smiling and smacking Louis’ ass, Harry almost forgot to respond, he was so distracted by Louis taking off his shirt. “Yeah, it’s time to celebrate.”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you liked it :D If you did, please leave a kudos, a nice comment, and possibly even [reblogging the fic post](https://lululawrence.tumblr.com/tagged/my-fic-post).


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